


Robin, Kid Wonder

by UnluckyAlis



Series: Robin, Kid Wonder [3]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Bigender, Cult of the Kobra, Dixie Grayson is Robin, Fem Robin, Female Dick Grayson, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Genderfluid Character, Kobra, Nightwing and Flamebird mentioned, Other, Richie Grayson is robin, Robin is bigender, Robin is confused, Wally is confused, everyone is confused, post season one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-06-07 09:03:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 77,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6797707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnluckyAlis/pseuds/UnluckyAlis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dixie Grayson is most certainly, undeniably, unequivocally not in love with her best friend. At least that's what she tells herself. But Robin doesn't like it when Kid Flash calls him bro, and Richelle has always had a thing for redheads. Fighting venom enhanced civilians was one thing, but dealing with the complexities of teenage romance was not something Dixie was trained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Never thought I'd say this, but I'm happy I'm small,_ Dixie thought as she stared at her reflection. There had been a bit of an awkward conversation between her and Bruce a few months ago when she had gotten her first period. If Dixie hadn't been completely mortified she would have laughed at the fearsome Dark Knight coughing and sputtering his way through a speech on the maturing female body. An important topic discussed had been Robin. Robin was a boy, and Richelle was not. Which posed the challenge of how they would deal with her looking more feminine, to put it delicately. Recently she had started binding her chest. At this point it wasn't a huge necessity, which she was thankful for because it got a little hard to breath sometimes wearing those things.

Dixie knew that one day she would have to stop being Robin, or Robin would have to reveal that he was really a she. Although Robin never actually felt like a she. Dixie really enjoyed it, playing a boy. It was fun and honestly it felt right at times. There were days when she felt like she wanted to be Robin more than Richelle. On those days she would wear her domino mask around the manor. Alfred and Bruce didn't understand it very well, but let her be. And then there were days when she didn't feel like Robin at all. She would still patrol those days, but if she went to the cave it would be in civvies and she would wear one of Dixie's shirts under her jacket. Unless a mission came up.

But that really wasn't the concern right now. She only had on the black undershirt that was a part of her Robin uniform. The bindings helped to hide her maturing figure and once she put on the red vest the Kevlar and supplement padding would help her to look less curvy and more lean. Staring at her reflection, she suddenly got a very Wally idea.

Dixie raised her arms and actually flexed in front of the mirror. She was a girl, yes, but she was proud of her muscles. They were natural, not bulky from constant fitness. Perfect for an acrobat and Boy Wonder. She snickered, thinking of what Wally would say. Although Artemis had strong arms too. And Wally actually knew Artemis was a girl.

The smile slipped from Dixie's face and she distracted herself by pulling on the rest of her costume. Vest, cape, gloves, and mask. She didn't want to be late for the gathering at the mountain. It had been around a month since New Years, when the Team defeated the Light. Although Robin thought defeated was a little too solid of a word. Many individual members of the Light were still active and wreaking havoc, and the Team had been busy trying to round them up and put them all away. Vandal Savage hadn't been seen or heard from since then. Lex Luthor remained untouchable, and Queen Bee had gone back to Bialya. Their current focus was Kobra. Despite the initial fooling of his venom operation as part of the Team's first mission, he had somehow managed to start it up again. Altered humans were popping up across the country and wreaking havoc in populated areas. While the League worked on subduing said humans, the Team's mission was to find out where the drug was coming from. They had already gone back to Isla Santa Prisca, just as a starting point, but had found nothing. Bane hadn't restarted his own operation and Kobra hadn't taken advantage of the empty island. So they were at a bit of a dead end.

Robin sighed and left the changing room, heading over to the zeta tube that had recently been installed in the Batcave. Batman had decided that if something like the events on New Years ever happened again, the Team might need the resources the cave had to offer. The easiest way to access the cave without coming within sight of Wayne Manor was through zeta.

"See you later, B!" Robin shouted as he jumped into the zeta tube. He didn't actually know if Batman was in the cave at the moment, but got the feeling that he was at least close enough to hear.

When Robin stepped out of the golden light he saw that most of the Team had already arrived, although three of them did live there. He had barely taken three steps when he was tackled by an overexcited speedster.

"Rob, you're here, finally!" Wally cheered, actually picking Robin up as he hugged him.

"Yeah, KF, I'm here. Do you think you could put me down?" Robin asked, blushing slightly.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure. There you go." Wally finally let go and Robin straightened out his cape. "Now that you're here, could you get Arty to stop hitting me?"

"I told you to stop calling me that!"

Robin peered around Wally to see an annoyed archer standing in the doorway.

"That depends. What did you do?" Robin asked. Wally shuffled his feet, an act that was actually pretty amusing since he did it with super speed, and kept his gaze locked on the floor. Based on his silence, Robin assumed that Wally had been flirting nonstop. Or at least trying to. He felt a twinge of annoyance at that but squashed it down. Wally was his best friend, he didn't care if he flirted with Artemis. Things had been interesting between them, between everyone really, since New Years. Both young heroes stated that the kiss had been an impulsive mistake. They were excited by their victory, and tradition calls for people to kiss at midnight, so it just happened. Robin ignored the feeling of triumph he had whenever Wally and Artemis denied feeling anything for each other. Although Wally had started flirting with the archer a lot since then. But with M'gann taken, Wally's options were technically limited.

Besides Wally and Artemis, Kaldur and Raquel had started spending some time together. Not a lot, but they would hang out when they were both in the cave. He noticed that Raquel wasn't there now.

Wally still hadn't answered Robin's questions, so it would seem that Zatanna took it upon herself to answer instead.

"Wally here was trying to convince Artemis to ask him out, because he's just so desirable," Zatanna smirked and winked at Robin.

"No I wasn't! I was just saying that a lot of girls have asked me to the Sadie Hawkins dance at my school!" Wally protested.

"It was heavily implied."

Wally continued to ramble, trying to come up with a plausible excuse, while Robin focused on Zatanna. Genetically speaking, Richelle was straight. Or at least she had considered herself to be straight until she met Zatanna. When they first met, Robin truly had had a crush on Zatanna. He had enjoyed their flirting, and as a bonus it helped to solidify his identity. But that's all it was, a crush. The kiss on New Years had been nice, but it was then that Robin realized he would never have more than a crush on Zatanna. They were still flirting, and as long as Zatanna didn't expect it to be anything more than that, it was fine.

"You're on your own for this, Kid Flirt," Robin took a step back, raising his hands as a sign of neutrality.

"But, bro!" Wally pleaded.

"Sorry, dude." Robin chuckled to hide the sharp edge in his voice. "So Kal, what did you want to see everyone for today? I haven't managed to find anything else about Kobra."

"We have been putting most of our focus upon missions since New Years, and I think it is important that we spend some time together as a Team. Raquel has been with us for a while, but she has not had time to get to know us. Garth and Tula have also not had a chance to meet the rest of the Team." At this Kaldur shot Robin a pointed look. The bird couldn't deny, his only time with the Team recently had been to discuss missions. Robin liked to pretend it had nothing to do with Wally and Artemis.

"If we're supposed to be hanging out as a Team, the where are the rest?" Wally asked, eager for a topic change.

Rocket B-0-9

Tempest B-0-10

Aquagirl B-0-11

"Right here!" Raquel called out from the zeta tube as the computer announced the new arrivals.

"Kidnapping the Atlantians?" Zatanna asked, recalling her own kidnapping experience.

"Almost, girl. Icon called for my help, and I thought it'd be good experience," Raquel smirked. She had been told about the kidnapping incident. "So are we hanging out, or what?"

"Race you!" Wally had barely finished his sentence before he was out of sight, a gust of wind signalling his departure. The rest of the Team followed at a normal, non-speedster pace. When they got to the living room Wally had already claimed the couch. He was sprawled across it, stretching out as much as he could. He already had the TV on to some old cartoons and everyone proceeded to try and find a seat.

It wasn't easy since there were now ten people on the Team, but only five actual seats. They had been trying to convince any of the Green Lanterns to help them expand that particular room, but so far had no luck. As it was, Connor and M'gann shared one of the green chairs, while Tula and Garth took the other. That left the remaining six to squish onto the couch.

Kaldur and Raquel were on the right and Kal, being the polite Atlantean gentleman that he was, was trying not to impede too much on her personal space. Wally was shoved between Robin and Artemis, who had combined their efforts to rather roughly move the speedster from his initial position. Zatanna sat on the far left, paying no heed to personal space as she was forced to press against Robin.

Robin's cheeks, as a result, were coloured a light pink. A perfectly natural reaction for any hormonal teenager being in close proximity to someone they found to be attractive. Robin just didn't realize that that person wasn't necessarily Zatanna.

Artemis started bickering with Wally over what he had chosen for them to watch, and they were currently battling over the remote. Wally was holding it as far away as he could, and Artemis was practically in his lap as she tried to reach it. Robin was painfully aware of all of this and tried to focus on the TV.

I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous.

It was a mantra echoing through the Boy Wonder's head. And the moment he looked over at the two heroes beside him, the mantra dissolved. He was a little jealous, but only a little! When the Team first formed and Wally used the majority of his spoken words to flirt with M'gann, Robin had a similar feeling. But it went away when M'gann and Connor started going out. He had thought that Wally's flirting with teammates was over since M'gann was taken. Apparently not. But Robin remained adamant that his jealousy sprouted from the fact that Wally was his best friend and wasn't acting very best-friendly. It had actually been a while since they hung out together, and Robin reasoned that he just missed hanging.

"Ugh, fine! We'll watch your movie," Artemis ceded and slumped back in her seat. Wally gave a cheer of victory and nudged Robin.

"You knew I'd win, didn't you bro?"

Robin swallowed the anger that rose with that nickname and smirked instead.

"Actually, I was betting on Artemis."


	2. Chapter 2

The night went well, for the most part. M’gann wanted to try playing a few Earth board games, so they ended up playing Clue and Monopoly. The first game went by quickly, with Robin using his detective skills to win. The second lasted a lot—several hours—longer. Robin won that one too. Wally chalked it up to luck and experience with the game. If only they knew it was really because Batman owned a multi-billion dollar company and taught Robin how to properly run a business. They never stood a chance.

Movies had constantly been playing in the background for anyone interested, and at any time there was always at least one person watching. Robin almost wanted to wince when he watched the Atlantians interacting. Even though Kal and Raquel were… not exactly going out, but spending more time together, it was obvious that Kaldur had at some point been in love with Tula. And those feelings weren’t quite gone yet. For some reason Robin felt that he could relate, although he wasn’t totally sure why.

There was only one major incident, around one in the morning, when Wally and Artemis had one of their big fights. But it quickly blew over and the night continued with just a little lingering tension. Most of the Team crashed in the lounge despite the lack of comfortable sleeping spaces. Cushions were stolen from the couches, and blankets and pillows were stolen from the bedrooms. The Team shared a good laugh at Wally’s Flash blanket, and Robin blushed at the Robin pillow case. Wally defended himself, saying that they were items from when he was younger and simply idolized heroes, instead of being one. Robin would have preferred if Wally said his aunt had bought them for him, since Wally’s answer resulted in both of them being teased. Robin had pelted Wally with his pillow, then gone to sleep.

Robin, as usual, was the first to wake up. He frowned and shifted without opening his eyes, trying to get comfortable while lying on the bare couch without disturbing Zatanna. They were the smallest members of the Team and ended up sharing the couch, with Robin at one end and the magician at the other. Robin rolled forwards, wondering if he would be more comfortable on his stomach, when he suddenly pitched forwards. His hand shot out and he caught himself on something plush. He opened his eyes, vision adjusting to the presence of his mask, and found his face barely an inch away from Wally’s. Robin squeaked and lurched backwards. Wally was lying beside the couch, and with the added boost of the stolen cushions, was about level with Robin lying done. It was the cushions that Robin had caught himself on, thankfully. When he had rolled over he had nearly fallen off the couch. If that happened, he would have landed on top of Wally.

“So not asterous,” Robin grumbled as he stood up. He caught his cape, which he had been using as a blanket, as it slipped off his shoulders.

_Maybe just a little asterous._

“No, it’s not,” Robin protested, then stopped when he realized he was arguing with himself. He shook his head and climbed over the back of the couch. In the kitchen, he glanced at the clock above the stove. It was just after nine, meaning he had gotten a good five hours’ worth of sleep. The others would probably be asleep for another hour or so. He made some toast for breakfast and grabbed a banana to eat while he went to work.

Robin settled at the counter with his laptop and continued his research on Kobra. Every morning he reviewed the headlines across the county, searching for new sightings of altered humans. A man described as large and hulking was seen rampaging at a convenience store somewhere in Texas last night, which resulted in the death of the clerk. Authorities had been unable to detain him and a manhunt had been issued. It was hardly a new lead, since an article like this appeared every couple of days now. But if they managed to capture one of these people, then maybe they could find out where they Kobra Venom was coming from.

He browsed through the other articles he had saved, looking for some kind of uniting factor. Kobra was hitting only major cities, and avoiding heroes’ cities. Robin knew better than to think that was part of some kind of plot, it was simple strategy. It’s easier to get lost in big cities, not to mention the larger population willing to consume questionable drugs. By moving from city to city, avoiding the protected ones, Kobra is better able to avoid discovery.

But there was something about the whole case that was bothering Robin. Kobra Venom was supposed to have an instant, permanent affect, and it wasn’t supposed to trigger an emotional response. Based on the eye witness reports, the people changed immediately before they rampaged, and it was always in a public place. Robin doubted that they injected themselves in such a setting, which meant that either the effects of the drug were somehow delayed, or someone else was injecting them.

And then there’s after the rampage. It wouldn’t be easy for an altered human to remain on the down low after a scene like that, but any that were reported were only seen the one time. Robin didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but this implied that the people could be changing back.

Lastly is the rampage itself. Every appearance of an altered human was accompanied by some kind of violent display. Robin knew full well that it may just be because those are the only times people are interested in the altered humans, because it seemed unlikely if Kobra-Venom was being distributed that there would only be one citing per city. But ever since the first few incidences hit the paper, authorities have urged the public to call in whenever they see someone that looks like that. Violent behaviour or otherwise. Robin had been monitoring those tips as well, and every time it turned out to be the ramblings of an overzealous citizen. Because of this he attributed the outbursts to be a new side effect of the drug.

And the only way there would be a new side effect is if the original recipe was altered.

But why alter a perfect recipe?

Robin groaned and glared at the screen. It just didn’t make sense.

“Morning, Monkey Boy.”

He nearly jumped at the sound of Wally’s voice, that morning’s incident fresh in his mind. Robin looked at the clock on his computer—he had been sifting through articles for an hour and a half—then looked at Wally.

“Monkey Boy?

“Yeah. Banana, big ears, Monkey Boy,” Wally shrugged.

“I _hate_ monkeys,” Connor growled as he shouldered past Wally and into the kitchen.

Robing ducked his head and self-consciously covered his ears with his hands. “They’re not that big.”

“Huge, _bro_ ,” Wally snickered. Robin suddenly felt very uncomfortable sitting there as, well, Robin. He shut his laptop, grabbed his cape from the counter top, and swiftly strode out of the room. Wally’s voice trailing after him.

“Dude, I was joking!”

Robin ignored the speedster and went to his room, locking the door behind him. He unceremoniously dropped his laptop onto his desk, and ripped off his mask and threw it across the room. Richelle Grayson dropped onto her bed, noting how much more comfortable it was than a bar couch, and rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. She didn’t really feel like being Robin today.


	3. Chapter 3

“Dixie, you okay?”

The ebony haired teen glanced up from her math textbook to Barbara Gordon, best friend extraordinaire. She had known the fiery redhead as long as she lived with Bruce, having met during a charity gala they were both forced to attend. They bonded over a distaste for posh parties and a shared age gap between their classmates. Although Barbara was only a year younger, and Dixie was two.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Dixie shrugged. Babs’ eyes narrowed and she tapped her pencil against her notebook.

“How’s Alfred?”

“Good. His daughter visited last week.”

“Bruce?”

“He let me review the S.T.A.R. Labs contract.”

“B-man?”

“We’re working on a new material for my cape.”

“Ace?”

“I taught him a new trick.”

“Rick?”

“Nothing’s changed.”

“You’re extracurriculars?”

“Fine.”

“No they’re not, what’s wrong?”

Dixie scowled and glared at Barbara. They were both stubborn. Dixie didn’t want to believe anything was wrong, and Barbara wouldn’t give up until she knew what _was_ wrong. They were caught in an intense staring match, until Barbara broke eye contact to scan the room. They were in the library for free period, sitting at a corner table. No one was within earshot, but Barbara leaned across their notebooks and lowered her voice to a whisper anyways.

“How’s the search going?”

“A new hit in Texas, but other than that we haven’t found anything yet,” Dixie supplied. She had told Barbara about her double life almost a year ago, when an incident with Riddler caused her to be absent for almost a month. Bruce knew, and he’d been a little mad at first, but was fine with it now. Ever since, Barbara had demanded that she be kept up to date with whatever Robin was up to. Including the search for Kobra.

“You’ll find the connection eventually. Second best detective in the world, right?” Barbara smirked.

“Obviously,” Dixie scoffed.

“Okay, so it’s nothing to do with Kobra. Then it’s either Wally or Zatanna.”

“What?” Dixie involuntarily flinched.

“Aha! Since there isn’t a problem with your missions, it has to be with the people on your Team, and you’re closest to Wally and Zatanna. I’m a pretty good detective myself, you know.” Barbara grinned again before her face settled into a serious expression. The staring contest resumed.

“Zatanna won’t back off?”

“We flirt, it’s fun. I enjoy it.”

“So it’s Wally.”

“I never said that!” Dixie protested, and a second later she realized her mistake.

“What did he do?”

“Nothing, Wally hasn’t done anything,” Dixie hissed.

“Ooh, that’s even more interesting,” Barbara was practically lying across the table now, textbooks and notebooks shoved aside.

“What’s interesting? There’s nothing interesting.”

“There’s something interesting.”

“No there isn’t.”

“Yeah there is. So what does Richelle think of Wally?” Barbara tapped her chin, staring off in contemplation.

“Richelle doesn’t know Wally, and therefore has no opinion,” Dixie said.

“And Robin?”

“He and Wally are bros,” Dixie answered quickly.

Barbara paused and lowered her hand back to the table. “ _He_?”

“He, me, whatever. It’s a mental distinction, helps to separate my identities,” Dixie muttered, staring down at her homework.

“Right. And when did that start?”

“I don’t know, I’ve always done it. But it doesn’t matter, there’s nothing interesting. I flirt with Zatanna, I hang out with Wally, and I look for Kobra. That _it_.”

Barbara sighed and rolled her eyes, then returned to her seat. She moved everything on the table back to the way it had been before. Making sure neither the librarian nor Dixie could see her, she slipped her phone out of her pocket and opened an internet search

 

Dixie decided to walk home from school, calling Alfred ahead of time to inform him that she wouldn’t be needing a ride. Since the manor was on the outskirts of Gotham, it would take a good hour if she didn’t become distracted. Barbara accompanied her for the first few minutes, until her root took a different turn and they said their goodbyes.

They had spent those minutes how they normally would. Joking around, discussing homework, and speaking about heroes using a code they had made it up. It was useful in public. Dixie caught Barbara giving her a strange, contemplative look every now and then, and the redhead had asked an awful lot of questions about the differences between Richelle and Robin. It was a topic they had never explored before and Dixie wondered about Barbara’s newfound curiosity, but decided not to say anything. The Team was only mentioned once, in passing, when Dixie promised to text from the mountain before they went their separate ways.

Now Dixie was walking alone, and had been for some time. She was walking slowly and only just reaching the start of the Palisades, Gotham’s posh neighbourhood. Every driveway there was long and winding, estates were sprawling, and the homes set upon them were mansions, not houses. She had about twenty minutes before she would reach the gate of the Wayne estate.

Dixie was frowning at her feet and muttering to herself.

“There’s nothing interesting.” Over and over the words spilled from her lips, and every time they did, the corners of her mouth curled even farther downward. Barbara had excellent intuition, something that had always been blamed on her use of case files ad bedtime stories when she was younger. When Barbara said something was up, then something was up. But Dixie was adamant that _absolutely nothing_ was up with _anything_ this time. Barbara had to be wrong, but she rarely ever was.

This made Dixie extremely frustrated, and when she was frustrated she liked to _move_. And not in a normal way like other people might. When Dixie wanted to move, she didn’t want to walk around. She wanted to flip and twist in the air where she belonged. But she wasn’t home yet, meaning she couldn’t hide away in her gym with her aerial equipment for the next hour or so. Instead, Dixie gripped the handles of her book bag in her teeth, raised her arms, took a large step, and fell forwards into a cartwheel. Then a front flip. Then another, with an aerial somersault thrown in. She was on her feet for barely a second before they were once again aimed at the sky, now walking on her hands. She was perfectly aware that her skirt would now be falling the wrong way, but Dixie always wore stretch shorts under it anyways and didn’t much care. After several feet of walking on her hands, stray gravel on the sidewalk digging into the heels of her palms, she finally felt calm enough to walk normally again.

Dixie straightened her skirt, looked around to see if anyone had been watching, and continued on her way. Richelle Grayson was still an acrobat, she was Gotham Academy’s top gymnast, but a display like that had just been so very Robin. And she really wanted to be Robin today.

It had been a few days since Team bonding night at the mountain and Dixie hadn’t been there since then. Which really wasn’t helping Kaldur’s mission of having the Team spend more free time together. But she just hadn’t been feeling like Robin. She still went on patrol, nothing would be able to stop Dixie from doing that. Not even a bullet to the shoulder, which had happened once courtesy of the Crown Prince of Crime. But when Dixie went to the mountain, she had to act like Robin too. With Bruce on patrol she could be whoever she wanted, as long as it got the job done. With the Team only Robin would suffice, because he’s the only one they knew. And she felt like being him again.

She just hoped that Wally wouldn’t ruin it again this time.


	4. Chapter 4

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Wally that ruined things this time. It was Connor, sort of. He didn’t really _ruin_ things, per se, but there was a moment that made Robin feel a little uncomfortable. Everything at the cave had been going fine. M’gann was baking, Zatanna and Robin were doing their sort-of-flirting-but-not-flirting thing, Artemis and Wally were struggling with homework, Connor was doing moody Connor things, and everyone else was off doing heroic things.

Robin assumed that Wally was doing math, since the redhead would occasionally groan and insult his notebook. It wasn’t that Wally was necessarily _bad_ at math, but Robin had learned long ago that the teachers just didn’t explain things the right way for Wally’s learning style. Once he actually understood it, has fairly mediocre at it.

“So what’s the Kid Wonder’s hair like out of costume?” Zatanna asked, smirking at his messy locks.

“Why the sudden interest.”

“Just because. You bats are pretty intense about the whole secret identity thing, I can’t really imagine civilian Robin having the same hairstyle,” Zatanna explained.

Robin recalled how Richelle’s hair was always styled. Bangs pulled back either by a headband, or barrette, and neatly brushed and out of the way.

“A little more hevelled, a little less dis.”

Zatanna’s nose scrunched up adorably while she thought, and she laughed when she realized what Robin was saying.

“I bet the girls go crazy for our little bird,” Wally interrupted, grinning at the two. “I mean, you’d be no Wallman, but picture it!”

“I could see that. Use a little gel, style your hair right.” Zatanna nodded and pushed Robin’s hair back, as if to demonstrate. M’gann, now thoroughly distracted from her cookies, squealed excitedly and flew over.

“We could give Robin a makeover!”

“That’s usually just girl thing, Miss M,” Robin mumbled, now feeling very self-conscious. He could feel a heavy blush creeping onto his cheeks, and his ears were probably already a bright red. He tried to squirm out of his seat, but Wally had sped over and thrown his arm around the acrobat. The speedster and magician, on either side of Robin, seemed determine to keep him routed to the spot.

“Come on, Rob. I a makeover might look good.”

Robin decided that his face must have been a bright vermillion by now. On one side was someone he had a crush on, and on his other was a person he considered fairly good looking. He didn’t let his mind specify who was who. It didn’t help that Wally was going on about how he was good looking, and probably had a secret Gotham girlfriend he wasn’t telling them about. It was no wonder Robin’s heart was racing.

None of this posed a particularly large problem, besides the fact that he would be content with the Joker suddenly bursting into the room and dousing them all in laughing gas. But then Connor stepped forwards, concern written all over his face.

“Robin, are you alright?” Connor asked, silencing Wally’s teasing remarks and M’gann’s excited chatter.

“Yeah, I-I’m fine,” Robin answered, trying to will his blush away.

“Are you sure, because your heart—” Using everything Batman had taught him, Robin lifted his feet and pushed off from the counter, tumbling backwards off his stool and slipping out of the arms holding him in place. He jumped up at Connor and slapped a hand over his mouth.

“I’m fine!” Robin repeated, fully aware that his recent actions contradicted his words. Connor raised an eyebrow, staring down at the smaller boy, while Wally suddenly burst into laughter. Everyone watched him for a few moments before Artemis suddenly fell into a fit of laughter as well. Zatanna was covering her mouth to mask her giggles, and even M’gann was smiling brightly.

“What?” Both ebony boys asked, although Superboy’s voice was muffled.

“R-Rob!” Wally gasped through his laughter. “Just, you-you’re—”

With those choppy, disjointed words, Robin realized what was so funny. Connor was significantly taller than him. In order to reach the Kryptonian’s mouth, he’d had to jump up. This meant he was now hanging from Connor’s neck, one hand clamped over his mouth, while his feet dangled a foot off the ground.

Robin frowned at Wally, chewing the inside of his cheek while he did so, before remembering that habit belonged to Richelle and stopped. He let go and dropped back down to the floor, stepping a healthy distance away from Connor, who was looking increasingly angry as the speedster continued to laugh. The others had recovered by now and were watching Wally with a combination of worried and amused expressions.

“Baywatch, you might want to run,” Artemis said with a smirk. Wally took a deep breath and calmed down long enough to see Connor’s expression.

“Oh.” Wally’s face fell. Before he could take off down the hall, Batman’s voice rang through the mountain.

“Team, report to the mission room.”

“Saved by the Bat!” Wally cheered and ran off before Connor could grab him. Robin had come to the mountain in uniform, so he didn’t need to go and change. Wally, having the advantage of superspeed, was there first. Robin was a close second, and Zatanna was right behind him. Magic was just another advantage. Connor and M’gann arrive next. Connor had recently started wearing fingerless gloves with his normal t-shirt and jeans ensemble. It wasn’t that big of a difference, but Robin got the feeling that he wanted there to be some difference between his hero and civilian identities. If gloves were that difference, that was fine. Artemis was last

“An altered human appeared in Providence just ten minutes ago. The police are getting calls all across the city of various sightings. At the bioships top speeds, you can be there in half an hour. I’m sure you know what to do,” Batman said.

“What about Aqualad and the others?” M’gann asked.

“They’re occupied. It’s just you six today.” Batman’s tone was dismissive, meaning the debriefing was over.

“Cool, Rob’s in charge!” Once again Wally sped off ahead of everybody. They followed him to the hangar, where the bioship was ready to go. Everyone took their usual seats, Batman opened the hangar doors, and they took off.

It was an unspoken agreement on the Team that, when Kaldur was unavailable, Robin would be their leader. He was still a little unsure of himself, but had recovered greatly since the failed simulation. After all, they had been using Robin’s plan to subdue the League back when they were under the control of the Light. Robin was the only one of them who knew the League well enough, and knew the best ways to exploit each weakness. The success of that day, along with a lack of casualties, had done wonders for Robin’s confidence. He still didn’t feel ready to officially take over as leader, but he was fine with substituting when Kaldur wasn’t around.

The Atlantian had hinted several times that he thought Robin was highly capable, and would be fit enough for the position in the not so distant future. But the bird was content with how things were for now.

“Approaching Providence,” M’gann announced as the city came into view. Robin immediately got to work using the Watchtower’s satellite signal to hack into the police force’s radio and tip line. He listened closely as the bioship, in camouflage mode, lowered onto a wide rooftop. His teammates waited patiently until Robin was ready and had a plan formulated.

“There’ve been three recent calls about suspicious persons being sighted in the city.” Robin pulled up a map of the city on his holo-glove, three bright red dots marking the location of each call. “Superboy and Artemis, you take the first call just North-West of here. M’gann and Wally, the second call was made close by, I want to search this area. Zatanna and I will investigate the location of the final call. If you find anything, let the rest of us know through the mind-link and we’ll converge on that area. Got it?”

Everyone nodded, exiting the bioship, and split off into pairs. Robin didn’t hesitate to run to the edge of the building and launch himself off of it. Nothing beat the feeling of the cool evening wind whipping by as he soared through the air. Zatanna was levitating close behind as they made their way to the location of the call.

When they reached the closest rooftop to their goal, Robin somersaulted across it to let the momentum bleed out and stopped on a dime at the edge, hands curled around the brick to keep him from falling.

“Wow, no wonder they call you Kid Wonderful,” Zatanna said in a teasing tone as she set down beside him.

“It’s Boy _Wonder_ ,” Robin corrected, then shot her a sly grin. “But I _am_ wonderful.”

“I think everyone knows that.”

They shared a quiet laugh before focusing on the matter at hand. It was still light out, so there were a fair amount of people out. And since it wasn’t a city like Gotham, where it was practically taboo to be out past sunset, that number probably wasn’t going to drop much.

“Can you cast a spell to scan the area?” Robin asked.

Beside him, Zatanna shuffled on the roof ledge and took a nervous breath. “I can try. The altered humans haven’t been touched by magic, so it might not work. They’re still human, and my magic isn’t powerful enough to detect biological differences.”

Robin nodded slowly, trying to think of a way around it. “What about emotions?”

“I think I know a spell for that. It’ll take a few minutes to prep it.”

“Cool. I’ll take a look around the area.” With that Robin jumped off the building and swung across the street. He scanned around the block, slowly increasing his radius. He paused on top of an apartment building and spoke through the mind-link.

_‘Has anyone found anything?’_

_‘Nothing yet.’_ Artemis was the first to answer.

 _‘We have found the sight of a disturbance, and are on alert,’_ M’gann said.

 _‘Be careful,’_ Robin instructed. He ran across the rooftop, jumping and tumbling onto the lower roof of the neighbouring building. The one after that was considerably taller. Without breaking stride, Robin fired his grapple as far up as it could go and started to run up the wall while the line reeled in. His exhilarating moment was interrupted by Zatanna calling him over the mind link.

_‘Robin, I’m ready.’_

_‘On my way.’_

Robin shifted all his weight into the next step and changed direction, running along the building rather than up it. When he reach the corner, he released the grapples hook and started a free fall over the street. Robin twisted in midair to face the way he had come, fired his line again, and resumed his race across the rooftops. He reached Zatanna in a matter of minutes, having hardly broken a sweat.

Zatanna was sitting cross legged a safe distance away from the edge of the building. Her eyes were closed and her mouth twisted in concentration. Robin scuffed his boots along the stones to signal his arrival without disturbing her. Zatanna gave the barest of nods and stood up. Her eyes glowed when she opened them and she cast her hands out.

“ _Wohs su ohw yeht era,_ ” Zatanna chanted. A single pulse of spread from her palm, cascading over the streets. Robin felt a flash of heat as it passed through him. Moments later, columns of light stretched above the buildings. Within them were thin, twisting tendrils of colour. They varied in hue, shade, and opacity. The columns drifted across the sky as the person they belonged to moved on the streets below.

Robin looked up to see a similar column stretching above his head. At its center were two thick tendrils, one turquoise, and the other purple. Surrounding those were smaller strings of red, yellow, and blues. Robin caught Zatanna staring at his column of light as well.

“Um, Zee?”

She blinked and shook her head, then smiled sheepishly. “I don’t think that was quite the right spell.”

“Oh. Do you know the right one?” Robin’s eyes drifted upwards once again. He felt like there was something important about the turquoise and purple.

“Yeah. Just a second.” Zatanna thrust both hands out this time and chanted once again. “ _Wohs su who yeht leef!_ ”

There was another pulse of light, and the columns flickered until only the thinner tendrils remained, but the colours had changed slightly. Robin lifted a hand, wondering if he could touch the bright red swirls above him. A moment later he remembered the mission, and refocused.

They scanned the skies, searching for a sign of their altered human. A few streets away there was a cluster of grey lights, and at the centre was an ever darker red.

“Over there. Light grey, it’s fear. And dark red is anger,” Zatanna explained. As they headed off in that direction, the lights faded, but not before Robin once again glimpsed the red over him.

“And bright red?”

“Excitement.”

Robin grinned. “Asterous.”

They reached the location where the clustered lights had been. The street below seemed empty and oddly quiet. Robin’s eyes narrowed and he scanned the store fronts. He caught sight of a bank the same time that a gun went off.

“Come on!” Robin called and climbed down the side of the building. He sprinted across the road towards the bank and ducked below the window. Robin peered inside and saw a large man standing in the middle of the room. He wasn’t an altered human, but he was angry and he had a gun. There were a few bank employees, who had probably been staying late, cowering behind the glass that separated the tellers and customers.

Without hesitation Robin darted through the door and tackled the man. The criminal yelled in surprise and outrage as he was shoved aside and swung his gun around. Robin grabbed the man’s arm, struggling to aim the gun away, when it went off. Robin’s fist lashed out against the man’s knee and the criminal yelled in pain.

“ _Dnid mih!_ ” Zatanna shouted as she entered the bank. Ropes appeared out of nowhere and snaked around the criminal, binding his arms to his sides. Robin kicked the man’s hand, knocked the gun away, and went to check on the bank staff. None of them were injured, and the police had already been alerted to the situation via a panic button under one of the desks.

“Robin, are you okay?” Zatanna asked.

“Totally whelmed, why?”

“Your leg.”

He looked down to see a rip in the black fabric. When the gun went off, the bullet had grazed him. Naturally in one of the few spots where his Kevlar was either thinnest, or nonexistent. He hadn’t even felt it, and it was hardly worth his attention. Robin pulled a spare bandage from his utility belt, slapped it over the wound, and grinned at Zatanna.

“There, good as new. We should be going, the police will be here soon, and we have a target to find.”

Zatanna nodded, giving Robin’s leg one last worried glance, and they left the scene. They were about to head back up to the rooftops when Artemis contacted them.

_‘Guys, we’ve found him!’_


	5. Chapter 5

_‘What’s your location?’_ Robin asked through them mind link. He and Zatanna were already running towards Connor and Artemis’ initial start point

_‘Residential area. There’s a church and a school nearby.’_

Robin rolled his eyes as he pulled up a map on his hologlove. _‘How about a street name?’_

_‘Uh… Regent Avenue.’_

_‘Got it.’_ Robin scanned his map, and sent a mental image through the link. _‘Everyone converge on Artemis and Superboy’s locations._ ’

“Zee, can you teleport us? We’re the farthest away, and even across the rooftops it’ll take us too long to get there,” Robin said, stopping for a moment and turning to the magician.

“It won’t be instantaneous, but I can do it.”

“Asterous.” Robin grinned while Zatanna closed her eyes. She grabbed his shoulder, and golden light danced in front of his eyes. When the light faded, Robin was forced to duck immediately to avoid being bowled over by Superboy.

“Hey Rob! Nice entrance!” Kid Flash called as he sped past. Robin paused to take in the scene. Down the road, tearing a street light from the ground, was the altered human. He—Robin assumed it was a he—had bulging muscles that tore through the skin, and didn’t look as perfect as the other Kobra Venom users Robin had fought. Artemis was crouching on the roof of a nearby house, firing trick arrows at their enemy. Most of them bounced harmlessly off his skin, although the polyurethane foam did slow him a little. M’gann was in the sky, eyes glowing, as she tried to telepathically force the mutated human into ceasing his fight.

She was, obviously, unsuccessful.

Kid Flash was running circles around the thing, disorienting it, but ultimately doing no damage. It seemed that Superboy, with is inhuman strength, was the only one that could actually harm it. But considering Superboy had also just gone flying a few moments ago, this opponent was proving a match for his Kryptonian might.

So the subject didn’t _look_ perfect, but this new serum seemed to have a stronger effect.

Without missing a beat, Robin pulled out two exploding disks and tossed them at the altered human. They exploded on impact, and the thing roared. More in annoyance than pain. Robin ran forwards, vaulting over the red and yellow streak of Kid Flash, and landed on the former human’s shoulders. He took several exploding birdarangs and embedded them along its shoulders before flipping away to a safe distance.

Robin new the explosions would hardly harm the thing, but they would serve well as a distraction. He was right. The altered human growled and swatted at the residual smoke and flames, spinning around to face Robin. This left its back open for Superboy’s attack. Superboy started pounding the creature, while everyone else tried their best to do the same.

The entirety of Artemis’ arsenal was shot through the air, while M’gann used the debris from the fight as projectiles. Kid Flash continued to run in circles, constantly tripping their enemy up, while Zatanna kept on casting spells to try and bind it. The bindings weren’t strong enough to hold, but they did slow it down. Robin, meanwhile, was trying to keep their foe’s focus on him by strategically throwing exploding devices at it, in just the right places to annoy it, and keeping just out of reach.

It seemed to be working, for the most part. The thing would take the occasional swing at the others, try and swat them away, but ultimately followed Robin down the street.

“Come on, big guy. Can’t catch a little bird?” Robin taunted and unleashed his trademark cackle. He flipped backwards, increasing the distance between, and righted himself just as Artemis shouted.

“Robin, look out!”

The acrobat raised his head in time to see a large, meaty fist seconds before it connected. Robin gasped, the air rushing from his lungs, as the force of the punch cracked his ribs and lifted his feet off the ground. He was sent flying back a good twenty feet before he hit the ground. Robin rolled across the pavement until his momentum was lost and he halted on his stomach, one arm pressed awkwardly underneath him. Robin hissed, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to figure out what had just happened.

While he was busy increasing distance, the altered human was decreasing it. In an incredible show of speed for someone that size, it had grabbed Wally, thrown him at Zatanna, and knocked Superboy into the sky towards M’gann before jumping at Robin. While the others were recovering from their own collisions, and Artemis was scrambling down from her rooftop perch, the altered human had bounded forward until it was towering over Robin. He was lifted up by his leg, and Robin gasped, or tried to, as a hand closed around his throat.

He clawed weakly at the thick fingers, croaking for air. The edges of his vision were getting fuzzy and grey, and Robin felt like he was going to pass out when suddenly the hand was gone, and he was lying on his back, gasping and coughing as he tried to catch his breath.

“Rob!”

“Robin!”

The shouts sounded distance, and Robin tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over him and he collapsed again. But instead of hitting the road for the third time, someone caught him.

“Dude, are you okay?” Kid Flash asked.

“Totally whelmed,” Robin croaked, now trying to rise with the assistance of his best friend. “What… happened?”

“That thing was choking you, and we were about to intervene, when it suddenly collapsed,” M’gann said as she floated into his vision. Robin struggled to lift his head and look at the altered human. It seemed smaller now, a little closer to human size, although its skin was loose. It wasn’t breathing.

“Call the bioship,” Robin instructed, his voice hoarse. “We’re bringing it with us.”

M’gann nodded while the others gathered around, asking Robin how he was. He gave them all the same answer, in some form of butchered English. It wasn’t until he was walking up the ramp into the ship that Robin realized he was still leaning heavily on Kid Flash, and hastily pulled away, insisting he could walk on his own.

He didn’t miss the quiet exchange between Kid Flash and Miss M, during which the speedster asked for his chair to be closer to Robin’s. The acrobat felt his face heating up, and immediately blamed it on his possible-not-yet-confirmed concussion. Robin sunk into his chair, sending Zatanna a half-hearted glare as she giggled.

What was so funny? 

* * *

Even though the ride back was short, Robin fell asleep before they returned to the mountain. In hindsight, that probably wasn’t a good idea when he suspected he might have a concussion. But the quick examination he underwent upon waking proved that he didn’t.

Three cracked ribs? Yes.

Bruising on his neck ad minor damage to his throat? Yes.

But a concussion? Nope.

Because of that, Robin decided it was okay to blatantly ignore all requests for him to stay and rest in the med bay and chose instead to stand beside his team during the mission report. Wally insisted that he at least lean on the speedster for support, but Robin was hesitant to comply. In the end he didn’t get to make a decision, because Zatanna sauntered over and bumped his shoulder, knocking the Boy Wonder into the fastest boy alive.

Robin knew he didn’t need help standing. He’d only been tossed around a little, and had experienced much worse in the past. This was nothing. But, as he leaned against Wally, Robin decided it wouldn’t hurt him more to give in to their overprotective tendencies once in a while. Besides, Wally had a comfy shoulder.

The others did most of the talking, which Robin didn’t mind since it hurt a little to speak. Although he did add the occasional word. As soon as the report was finished, Batman collected the necessary samples from the deceased altered human, while the body was taken up to the Watchtower.

It was Dixie that emerged into the Batcave, pulling her mask off as the golden light faded. She slowly made her way over to the chair in front of the computer, dragging her feet and dropping into the seat. The graze on her leg stung a little, and her ribs understandably hurt.

“How are you?” Batman asked as he prepped the samples for testing. Dixie knew that, out of respect for the Team ad their desire to become more independent, Batman wouldn’t look at the results right away, unless she asked him to. Ever since New Year’s he had been giving Dixie more freedom, letting her conduct research on her own and only providing assistance if it was asked for. Dixie was immensely thankful for this, because she wanted to prove the Team could solve this case with as little of the League’s help as possible.

“Feeling traught,” Dixie answered as she rubbed her eyes. She was, admittedly, a little tired. The day had been emotionally exhausting, what with the confrontational conversation with Barbara, Connor’s casual comments before the mission, and her own general confusion as of late.

In Dixie’s mind, there had always been a fine line between Richelle and Robin. It was necessary, to protect her identity. That line was still present, but she now felt different about the two identities. It was like they weren’t just masks anymore for Dixie Grayson. Both identities were real, and she really was them, but switching between them used to be so easy. Mask on, Robin. Mask off, Richelle. Now, though, she could wake up in the morning knowing that Richelle would have to go to school, when she really wanted nothing more than to be Robin. Not in the running over rooftops, fighting crime type way. More like she just wanted to, felt like she had, _be_ _him_ instead of _her_.

It was increasingly frustrating, and confusing. Dixie hadn’t told anyone about this yet, and wondered how long she would be able to keep it a secret. Bruce and Alfred never batted an eye when she wore masks around the manor, which made her wonder how much they actually knew. Or if they simply perceived her actions to mean she wanted to be out fighting crime rather than stuck doing homework, or preparing for charity galas.

“You should go to bed. You don’t have to go to school tomorrow, if you don’t want to. But that means you should get some rest,” Batman said. “I’ll finish with these samples, and the results will be ready for you in the morning.”

“Okay.” Dixie nodded, gingerly rubbing her sore throat, and pulled herself out the chair. She changed into loose fitting clothes and returned her uniform to its stand. After draping the cape of the metal figure’s shoulders, she held the mask up to its blank face. The black and white fabric—which really was so much more than fabric on the inside, but didn’t seem like it—lay across her palms. She had removed it out of habit when she returned from the mountain, but now?

Stealing a glance at Batman, who was hunched over the computer and starting up the basic, preliminary sample tests, before slipping the mask back over her eyes. Robin lowered his head, trying to hide his face, and ascended into the manor.


	6. Chapter 6

Robin woke up at his usual time, mask peeling off his face. He didn’t feel like being Richelle that day, so he applied a fresh layer of spirit gum and pressed the fabric back to his face. The moment Robin set foot outside his room, Bruce was there, tilting his chin up to examine the bruises on his throat.

“How’s your voice?” Bruce asked.

“Asterous,” Robin croaked.

“Do you want to stay home today?”

Robin automatically opened his mouth to say no, but hesitated. The bruises he could hide, and the sore ribs he could work through. But today wasn’t a Richelle day, Robin knew it. Even though he didn’t even know what that meant.

“Yes.”

“Good. Then you’re going back to bed.”

“But-”

“I told you last night, if you’re staying home, you’re resting. You can look at the test results later. I already told Alfred not to make breakfast until at least ten.” Bruce smirked and Robin’s mildly offended expression. Alfred’s cooking was always delicious, but his breakfast, along with his chocolate chip cookies, were the best.

“I have to go to work, and you have to go back to bed. Dixie, don’t leave the mask on too long, it’ll leave marks.” Bruce smiled lightheartedly, but the comment made Robin stiffen. Bruce didn’t see, since he had already turned away, and Robin hastily returned to his room. The chiding remark about the mask didn’t bother him. Robin knew its presence would highly noticeable once he finally removed it, but it was a defining feature of Robin. It was the use of his civilian name that threw him off.

It really shouldn’t have bothered him. Robin couldn’t think of a reason why it did, but it had. With a light frown gracing his features, he returned to bed, eagerly awaiting the prospect of an Alfred original breakfast when he finally awoke. 

* * *

The screen of the holo-computer cast Robin’s face in a blue glow, despite the fully adequate lighting of the Mount Justice mission room. After breakfast, and Alfred announcing he had to leave and run some errands in Gotham, Robin decided to take advantage of his unsupervised hours to do some work. Normally he would have stayed in the Batcave, but the mountain’s system needed to be updated anyways. He could kill two birds with one stone. So he pulled in a chair from one of the storage rooms, and settled in.

“Shouldn’t you be in school?” Robin asked when Wally arrived.

“ _How_ did you know I was here?” Wally cried as he entered the room. “I beamed to the hangar, it doesn’t announce in here!”

“I heard you walking. School?”

“Dude, stop talking. You sound like crap and you’re only gonna make it worse,” Wally scolded.

“School?” Robin demanded one more time, very aware of how bad his voice sounding right then.

“Okay, geez. There’s an in-service today, no school. I was running and thought I’d just stop by, see how you are.” Wally shrugged and leaned on Robin’s chair, draping his arms over the back. His hands fell just above Robin’s head, and he started toying the Boy Wonder’s ebony locks. Robin was suddenly very thankful Wally couldn’t see his face. It was probably the same colour as the speedster’s own hair right about then.

“How’d you know I’d be here instead of school?”

“Because you’re Robin and if there’s work to be done, you’ll be doing it, school be damned. Now stop talking.” Wally smirked. “So how’s the research going?”

“It’s-”

“I said no talking.”

“But you-”

“ _No_ talking.”

Before Robin could try again, Wally’s hand slipped down to clamp his mouth shut. Robin resisted the urge to bite it as revenge, and instead enlarged the files he had been viewing. A map of the country marked with every altered human sighting, and a screen comparing the chemical breakdown of two very similar chemicals.

“Is there a pattern?”

Robin pulled Wally’s hand away from his mouth and shook his head. The speedster, apparently satisfied that Robin wasn’t going to speak, returned his hand to Robin’s hair. He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but the Boy Wonder was secret pleased the action had resumed.

“And the drugs?”

Robin pointed to the first one, labelled as Kobra Venom, and the second marked as the Altered Serum. The breakdown revealed they were made of the same base ingredients, with only a few variations. Robin continued his work, running the drugs through his own analytic programs in the background, while adjusting the mountain systems.

Wally wandered around the room bored out of his mind. He occasionally returned to Robin’s chair to bug the younger boy and toy with his hair, which he was affectionately nicknaming his ‘feathers’. Robin would swat his hands away, squawking indignantly until Wally left him alone. In reality Robin liked the little moments, but reasoned it wouldn’t matter who was playing with his hair, he just liked the sensation. Unless it was Harley Quin or something, that would just be creepy.

An hour passed before Robin dragged his eyes away from the screens, and only because his com had gone off. Alfred didn’t greet him in any way, or wait for some kind of acknowledgement, before diving right into his scolding.

“ _Master Robin, while I’m not particularly bothered by you choosing to spend time at the mountain during your day off, Master Batman instructed you to rest, and I wholeheartedly agree. I can assure you that being the_ youngest _obstinate vigilante in my care does not give you special allowance to forgo much needed best rest in lieu of research. Batman’s habits are troublesome enough._ ”

Robin waited, sensing that the aging butler wasn’t quite finished yet.

“ _And it is rude to leave a guest waiting._ ”

“Guest? Who’s there?” Robin asked.

“Dude, who are you talking to? Is it Batman? Is ‘guest’ code for villain?”

Robin shoved Wally’s face away from his ear while Alfred replied.

“ _One Barbara Gordon wishes to speak to you.”_

“Does _no one_ have school today? You can let her down, I’ll be right there.” Robin shook his head as the com went silent. He knew for a fact that Babs was supposed to be in class, because _he_ was supposed to be in class. He just had a valid reason not to be.

“Sorry, Wallman. Gotta go back to the cave..” Robin stood up, stretching out as far as his sore ribs would allow, and swiped a hand through the holoscreens to shut them down. He gave the chair he had occupied a hearty kick, and the wheels squeaked as it rolled across the floor and collided with the wall.

“Already? I know the moment you leave my sight, you’re going to be cackling and talking and making yourself worse. I’m coming with you… Marcus?” Wally ventured.

Robin snorted at the guess that was nowhere near the truth. It was a game the two of them played, ever since Wally willingly revealed his ID to the Boy Wonder. At the time, said Boy Wonder had already known Kid Flash’s secret identity, and the speedster probably knew it, but it was a nice gesture anyway. When Robin admitted he couldn’t reveal his own identity, Wally took it upon himself to guess it instead. Nothing ever came close.

“Nope. And you’re not coming.”

“Why not? I heard you, you’re probably going to be in the Batcave with this ‘guest’. I’m allowed in the Batcave, I’ve been there before.” Wally pouted, crossing his arms and staring at Robin with faux sadness. It was a poor attempt at mimicking Robin’s own puppy-dog expression, which he used frequently around the mountain to manipulate his teammate and get his way. It was surprisingly effective despite the lack of visible eyes.

“You don’t even know who my guest is.”

“And they don’t know who I am. It’s perfect!”

Robin looked at Wally, eyebrow raised. “Why do you want to come anyways?”

“I’m worried about you, bro.”

It made absolutely no sense. How could such a simple phrase both elate and upset him? Robin was willing to admit that he had some… issues regarding being abandoned and feeling uncared for. His parents died and left him alone – which really wasn’t a fair accusation at all, since they had been murdered, but it still hurt – his social worker dropped him in Juvenile Detention, and Bruce had started off as an aloof and distant figure, even though he really had cared. Hearing something as simple as “I’m worried about you,” always made Robin deliriously happy. Maybe a little more so because _Wally_ had said it, but that’s just because they were best friends.

But at the same time, the _word_ , _bro_ , elicited such strong feelings of annoyance and possibly even sadness that the whole statement left him feeling empty and lacking.

“Fine. But I’m going to make sure Batman knows it was all your idea when the yelling starts.” Robin smirked and bounded towards the Zeta beams, adding a cartwheel for good measure. He couldn’t let Wally see how down that one word had made him.

“Yes!” Wally cheered, running after the acrobat. “Wait, you wouldn’t really do that, would you?”

“Wouldn’t I?” Robin cackled and finished punching in the coordinates for the Batcave, grabbing Wally’s wrist and pulling him into the warm light of the Zeta-Tube.


	7. Chapter 7

"Geez, I thought those Zeta-Tubes were supposed to be fast. Were you lying to me, D–" Barbara's mouth snapped shut, clipping off the end of Robin's civilian name, as she stared at Wally. "Is that…?"

"Babs, this is Kid Flash. KF, Babs," Robin introduced.

"Dude, she's hot," Wally whispered in Robin's ear. The younger hero frowned slightly at that, but didn't say anything. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"What? No!" Robin hastily replied. For some reason, the last thing he wanted was for Wally to think he had a girlfriend.

"Cool." Wally grinned. There was a rush of wind, and he was suddenly standing beside Barbara, giving her what was probably supposed to be a charming smile. "The name's Wally. Wally West."

"Barbara Gordon. You're not as tall as I thought you'd be," the female redhead mused.

"Babs!" Robin yelped.

"So I guess Robin's told you about me, and how great I am?" Wally winked. Robin frowned, getting increasingly annoyed at the speedster's behaviour. Barbara, peering around Wally's arm, seemed to notice and smirked.

"He's told me a lot about you, yeah." Barbara nodded. She moved towards Robin and stood right beside him, so their shoulders were brushing. She strategically bumped the back of her hand against Robin's, and watched Wally's reaction carefully.

The speedster was staring at their hands. Robin's fingers had twitched when they touched, as if he was about to hold her hand. The corner of Wally's mouth twitched downward, just for a second, but it was enough for Barbara.

"Uh, Babs, not that I'm not happy you're here, because I am-"

Wally twitched again, and Barbara inwardly cheered of Robin's wonderful choice of wording.

"-but why _are_ you here instead of school?"

"Pity, mostly." Barbara shrugged. She elaborated once she saw Robin's almost hurt expression. "Not for you, the tough vigilante. Pity for me, and my _closest_ and _dearest friend._ "

Barbara stressed her words carefully, constantly gaging Wally's reactions.

"When a young, tear streaked damsel burst into the office, having just heard about her _friend's_ latest kidnapping attempt, the secretary was so moved by her story of woe that she was allowed to rush to her _friend's_ side."

Barbara was smirking, and Robin and Wally wore matching frowns. Although for vastly different reasons.

"A _kidnapping?_ I thought he was just gonna say I'm sick or something," Robin sighed.

"Gotta explain the bruises somehow, they won't go away by tomorrow. And I'm sure you won't miss more than one day of school."

"Can't leave you alone with those jerks," Robin said. Barbara's eyes sparkled with mischief. She'd just been given the perfect opportunity.

"My hero," Barbara crooned. She leaned up and kissed Robin's cheek, stifling a giggle at Wally's expression.

"Babs, what're you-"

"Stop talking, Boy Blunder, you sound horrible. Go do your research like a good little vigilante. I know that's what you were doing at the Mountain." Barbara grinned at her best friend, who grumbled quietly but complied. As Robin shuffled over to the computer, Barbara and Wally remained where they were.

"You know about the Mountain?" Wally asked, and Barbara was surprised by his sudden change in tone. Just moment ago there had been a flirtatious lilt in his voice, but now his words were clipped.

"And the Team, and everything, really." Barbara nodded.

"For how long?"

"Since it was formed. I learnt he was Robin last year."

"So you know him really well."

"He's my best friend, ever since he was nine. We were inseparable back then. Still are. Robin's really smart, you know. He skipped a grade, ended up in my class. And now he takes advanced classes. I worked as hard as I could to make sure we could take some of them together."

"You know him with, and without the mask," Wally said.

Barbara's theory was right, the speedster was jealous. But not just because of how close the civilian and hero were. Wally was jealous because she knew Robin in a way he didn't, and probably wouldn't for some time, if ever. She felt a pang of pity for him.

There was a faint chiming, which Barbara barely heard, and Wally lifted a hand to his ear.

"Hey, Barry… With Robin… Yeah, okay. I'll be right there." He lowered his hand and turned to face Robin, who was absorbed in his work at the computer. "Sorry bro, Captain Boomerang broke out of prison, I gotta go."

"See you, Walls," Robin croaked and bobbed his head. A second later the light of the Zeta-Tube was dying, and Barbara and Robin were alone.

Barbara had something important to reveal to Robin, but there was something she wanted to test first.

"So, Dixie-"

"Robin," he immediately corrected.

"Wally's not here anymore."

"I know, but, right now, it's Robin."

Barbara nodded, satisfied. She'd heard everything she needed to. "Robin, what do you know about people that are genderqueer?"

Robin's hands froze. "They don't follow conventional societal gender distinctions. They can identify with neither gender, either gender, or a combination regardless of what sex they are."

He rattled off his answer, no doubt a memorized definition, and resumed typing.

"Right. I was doing some research, and I read that some people fluctuate between genders. Like, say someone is bigender, some days they could be male, and some days they could be female, if those are their identifying genders."

"Okay." Robin nodded slowly and Barbara bit her lip. She knew she had to continue carefully. Dixie always had problems about fitting in and being different. Richelle the daughter of the richest man in Gotham, and subsequently was the richest teen in Gotham. But she was also adopted, and had come from a circus. Because of this there often mixed reactions towards her. A lot of kids at school sucked up to Richelle because of her current situation, but even more bullied her because of her background. They either wanted status, or to put her down.

While Robin's situation was certainly easier, there were still some hardships. He was the youngest hero, which made people underestimate him all the time. They didn't trust his abilities as much as they should have. Being secretive didn't help much either. Heroes outside the Justice League were always wary of the bat family. Even some in it felt that way. They didn't like their methods, or their secrets, or the fact that they always knew everything about you before meeting you. Granted, that was a little creepy and somewhat invasive, but paranoia seemed to come with the cape.

Either way, Dixie was always treated differently than others, and really didn't like it. Barbara knew that. This had the potential to make things worse, but if Robin didn't accept the truth, or remained confused about who he was, it could be damaging.

"Sometimes they use different names for these identities, because their female name might not feel right when they're male. I'm just going to assume that, they're one gender, they probably don't like it if someone refers to them with their other name. Sort of like your hero and civilian names." Barbara paused to let what she was saying sink in.

Robin finally stopped, hands dropping into his lap, and he spun the chair around to face her. Barbara couldn't read him very well with the mask on, but he didn't look panicked. She took that as a sign to continue.

"The other day, you called Robin he. While it's weird referring to yourself in third person, I almost didn't think it was a big deal. I asked you about it, and you said it wasn't. But I started looking some stuff up anyways. At first it all seemed kind of split personality to me, but that didn't seem right. I've been over to the manor a few times when you've been wearing the domino mask, and you always kind of frowned if someone called you Dixie. And don't think that I haven't notice the days when said you were hanging out at the Mountain, but were wearing something that clearly belonged to Dixie."

Robin hadn't reacted yet. He was staring at her, expression a mixture of unease and curiosity. Barbara knew he must have figured out where she was going with this, but obviously wasn't going to stop her until she was done.

"I think you were trying to define yourself, even if no one else knew what was going on. Maybe you didn't even know it. When you wear the mask with civvies, you're actually male that day, but you have to be Richelle. When you wear Richelle's clothes as Robin you're female, but you can't exactly have your team call you Richelle. It's how you identify to yourself, since you don't consciously understand, but somewhere in your mind you know what you are that day," Barbara finished.

Silence reigned for several mildly uncomfortable minutes before robin finally spoke.

"So you're saying that I'm…?"

"Bigender, yeah." Barbara nodded. "And you didn't want me to call you Dixie, so today you're male."

Robin's eyebrows pulled together, not in a frown, but in a thoughtful expression. He turned his gaze downwards. It actually sounded right, what Barbara said. It made sense. He didn't struggle to accept it. Even before Barbara had finished talking, it clicked.

"You're not freaking out, right?" Barbara asked.

"Yeah. I mean, no. You're right, it feels right," Robin reassured her.

"Good. Just don't get mad if I call you Dixie when you're actually Rob." Barbara smiled in relief. The conversation had gone a lot easier than she thought it would, even though Robin didn't really do much talking.

"I can't be Rob," he said abruptly.

Maybe Barbara had celebrated too soon. "Yes you can. Some people will have trouble accepting it, but they're ignorant idiots."

Robin surprised her by laughing. "That's not what I meant. The name, Rob. I can't use if I'm in civilian mode. There's still a chance someone could make the connection."

"Bats and their paranoia." Barbara shook her head. "Then what should I call you? Richard?"

"Yeah."

"What? I was joking."

"I know, but it still sounds right. It's what my name would have been, you know. If I were born a guy. Richelle was a compromise," Robin explained.

"Are you giving me permission to call you Dick?" Barbara grinned, and laughed at the widened mask lenses.

"No way, no one should have that much power. Just call me Richie."


	8. Chapter 8

**BG:** Is it R or D today?

 **Grayson:** Today’s definitely a D day

 **BG:** How are you doing at the mountain?

 **Grayson:** Interesting. Doesn’t bother as much, since I know why it bothered me before.

 **BG:** That’s great! And I had an idea. You said you were thinking of dropping the Robin persona when you’re older, right?

 **Grayson:** Yeah. It’s important, but I really doubt villains are going to be afraid of an adult called Robin.

 **BG:** Right. So I had an awesome idea about what you could do when that happens.

“Texting your girlfriend?”

Dixie slammed her phone down, hiding the screen, and glared at Wally.

“What?” Wally asked innocently, shoving a handful of chips in his mouth.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Dixie corrected. She adjusted her sunglasses and slipped the phone back into her pocket. She was sitting on a stool by the kitchen island, while everyone else was gathered in the living room for another one of Kaldur’s bonding sessions. Everyone had stay over at the mountain last night, and Dixie hung back after breakfast when Barbara started texting her.

It’d only been three days since their revealing conversation. Dixie hadn’t spoken to anyone else about it, and wasn’t sure if she was ready. She knew Bruce and Alfred loved her, but this was such a big deal. And there were lots of people that disapproved of things like being bigender. What if Bruce or Alfred turned out to be one of those people?

Barbara had reassured Dixie several times that wouldn’t be the case, but she still worried. Stupid bat paranoia.

“I think you’re lying. It sure seemed like she was your girlfriend,” Wally said in a teasing tone.

“Robin has a girlfriend?”

Dixie glared at Wally again before facing the Team, who must have overheard their conversation. Everyone had gathered by the kitchen entrance. M’gann, who had asked the question, was at the front of the group, with Conner right beside her. Although the half-Kryptonian had more than likely been dragged along, rather than spurred forth by his own curiosity. Zatanna and Artemis were just behind them, the magician looking confused, and Artemis looking… angry? The Atlantians, plus Raquel, stood at the back. Among them Kaldur looked highly amused.

“No, M’gann, I don’t have a girlfriend. She’s just a friend,” Dixie clarified.

“A very _good_ friend,” Wally added while wiggling his eyebrows. Dixie roll her eyes and slapped Wally’s arm.

“She’s my best civilian friend. That’s it.”

“Good, or else I’d have to kick your ass, Bird Brain,” Artemis said

“Why?” Even though Dixie already knew the answer, she decided to play the oblivious boy.

“Because you’re always flirting with Zatanna,” Raquel answered from the back. “And there’s no way we’d let you do that to a girl.”

“Oh, that’s just fun. It doesn’t mean anything,” Zatanna said. She glanced at Dixie and gave her a questioning look, which was met with a small shake of the head. “He doesn’t have a girlfriend. But when our Kid Wonder finally gets his date, he won’t be the one we beat up for two timing.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dixie asked, genuinely confused. Zatanna just gave her a meaningful smile, to which Dixie did not know the meaning, and winked.

“I don’t know, you guys weren’t there. She was all over my best bro! Standing so close together, kissing his cheek. Dude, it was so distracting.” Wally launched into a detailed explanation of the encounter, exaggerating Barbara’s behaviour. Although Dixie herself had thought it a bit odd at the time, but she wasn’t going to dwell on it now.

“Distracting…” Dixie mumble under her breath. Her eyes narrowed behind her sunglasses, and she stared intently at the countertop, absorbed in her own thoughts. “It’s a distraction!”

“And they were holding hands! Wait, what?” Wally stopped his rant to glance at his best friend.

“We _weren’t_ holding hands, and it’s all a distraction!” Dixie jumped off the stool, rushing past Wally and nearly knocking him over. The young heroes shared confused looks before following. Dixie went straight to the mission room, activating the holoscreens and bringing up the map labeled with all altered human encounters.

“The altered humans have been showing up in major cities across the country, in areas with a high density population where they’re for sure going to be seen. But they haven’t shown up near any protected cities, which means there’s normally a lag in superhero response time, giving the culprit lots of time to disappear,” Dixie started, her fingers flying across the keys. A red cursor showed up on the screen and zeroed in on specific locations, bringing up satellite images from the time around the attacks. “The only time we’ve been able to respond in a timely manner was when an attack happened in Providence, which was a mistake on Kobra’s part. This is a covert base, so he didn’t actually know we were close by. We got there in time to fight the altered human, but they died, right?”

“So?” Conner grunted, annoyed with the long explanation.

“So, the Kobra Venom serum was already perfect, it didn’t need to be changed. But it was, and that change is what killed him. Its main ingredients are the Blockbuster formula, and Bane’s neo-steroid. Venom itself is an extremely dangerous drug that causes an immediate increase in muscle mass. If taken improperly, or in an excessive amount, the growth can become disfiguring and lethal. The traces of altered Kobra Venom Batman and I recovered from the corpse had a higher concentration of Venom than the original recipe. Do you get it?” Dixie glanced at her teammates. Kaldur’s eyes were wide, and he seemed to have reached the same conclusion as Dixie, but the other’s needed further explanation.

“He was supposed to die all along. That’s why we haven’t been able to find of the other altered humans after they were sighted. The new formula triggered whenever they had a sudden spike in heart rate, which can happen when people are angry. It causes the transformation, they rampage for a bit, and then they die and revert back to a relatively normal size. We were never _supposed_ to find them, but keep looking for them. Which is what we’ve been doing, what _everyone_ has been doing. I got a few Leaguers to take occasional patrols in the cities where there’ve been sightings, hoping to find the altered humans again. This draws them away from their own cities.”

“So Kobra’s planning something in protected cities?” Wally asked.

“That’s what I think.” Dixie nodded, highlighting said cities on the map floating before them. There was a rather generous activity free radius around each city.

“Why didn’t we think of a distraction before?” Artemis crossed her arms, watching the screen intently.

“Because it was successful, we were distracted. Kobra is powerful and he normally doesn’t resort to methods like this, so I don’t think any of us really considered it. Not to mention we were too busy trying to find the connection between the attacks when there isn’t one, besides minor similarities in location. We have two main priorities now. Stopping the supply of the Altered Serum, and uncovering Kobra’s scheme.” Dixie leaned back so she could see the entire screen, thoroughly satisfied with her explanation.

“And you know where the warehouse is,” Zatanna stated with a grin.

“Of course. Once I knew what was going on, it didn’t talk long to scern its location.” Dixie pointed to the map, and it zoomed in on the location.

“Toledo?” asked Raquel.

“ _Ohio?_ ” Wally scoffed.

“Should we be surprised?” Garth asked. Tula nodded, both ocean dwellers not understanding the cause for such a reaction.

“When you think secret villain base, you don’t really think Ohio,” Raquel explained.

“Yeah. Most villains are into the whole ‘big city’ thing,” Zatanna elaborated. The Atlantian couple still didn’t fully understand, but it wasn’t important anyways. Ignoring the amusingly shocked reactions, Dixie highlighted the entire state.

“There’s been no activity in or around Ohio, meaning someone doesn’t want us to go there. I considered four possible cities for the warehouse location. Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Toledo. They’re the four largest cities in the state. But Columbus and Cincinnati are too far inland, so I narrowed it down to Cleveland or Toledo. While Cleveland has the larger population, Toledo has the Maumee River and it’s closer to the border. A riverfront property would be a prime location, providing a quick escape route, and traffic to and from the building could be divided between boats and vehicles, so it’s less suspicious. Not to mention they could get things shipped to Canada, then use the lake to bring it over the border. I’m sure the coast guard isn’t a big obstacle for Kobra’s men.”

“Wow,” Tula said, appropriately summing up everyone’s current awed mood. For many members of the Team, this was actually their first time witnessing the detective side of their youngest member. During past missions Dixie hadn’t needed to deduce, just fight. She smiled now, happy for the opportunity to show off her skills, because she most definitely was showing off.

“And you thought of this how?” Garth asked.

“Wally said my friend was distracting.” Dixie shrugged.

“Bro, that totally makes it my idea too, right?”

…

“We’ve reached the drop zone,” M’gann announced as the bioship started to hover. At the back of the ship, a hole opened in the floor, and two figures jumped through. There was a splash seconds later.

 _‘This water is filthy. How do surface dwellers get away with this?’_ Tempest’s disgust was sent flowing through the mental link, but it was understandable. Robin winced, hoping Garth would never go anywhere near Detroit. Compared to other places in America, and around the world, the Maumee River was extremely well off.

 _‘What are we searching for down here?’_ Aquagirl asked, steering them back on target. Robin glanced at Kaldur, who nodded before jumping after his friends. Today, she was in charge.

 _‘Producing the drug will create waste that we could identify and trace back to the warehouse if properly disposed of. To remain undetected, the most logical course of action would be to dump it in the river. You need to search around the banks for any pipes,’_ Robin instructed. Tempest’s anger flared through the link again, but was quickly followed by a calming sensation, most likely Aquagirl as she cooled her boyfriend’s temper.

_‘Wally, I want you on the ground, and Rocket and Miss Martian in the air. I’ll take over piloting the bioship. Zatanna will prep a spell to help us locate the warehouse, and Superboy will use his infrared vision to find buildings with lots of activity inside, or hidden levels. Those are the ones we’ll check out first.’_

Various words of confirmation echoed through Robin’s head while Miss Martian handed over the controls. Superboy climbed on top of the ship, where he would be distracted and would have a greater vantage point. Robin started flying and a reasonable pace over the middle of the river, scanning both banks, while Zatann sat cross legged on the chair beside him.

“It must be hard,” Zatanna said, and Robin glanced over at her.

“Don’t you need to concentrate?” Robin asked.

“Yes, but this spell is easier than the first one I used. Not feeling chalant today?”

“Okay, fine. What’s hard?”

“Being in love with Wally.”

Robin opened her mouth, gaping, then closed it. She opened it again, but no words came out. She just started at Zatanna for an unnecessarily long time before replying.

“I’m not in love with Wally.”

“You say that, but I know you are. You get jealous when he flirts with Artemis, you used to get jealous when he flirted with M’gann. I’ve seen how you act around him,” Zatanna said.

“I’m not in love with KF,” Robin stated firmly. “And even if I were, why would that be hard?”

“Because you’re a girl and he doesn’t know it.”

Robin’s mind seemed to shut down for an entire minute after Zatanna said that. It just wasn’t possible. “I’m not a girl.”

“You are. That spell during the Providence mission? I screwed it up on purpose. The lights reveal things about people. Gender happens to be one of them. Guess what turquoise means?”

“Female,” Robin said. If Zatanna had firm proof, there was no use arguing.

“Yep. I was surprised when I saw purple too, though. You’re a guy and a girl. Bigender?”

“Um, yeah.” Robin nodded, feeling very self-conscious. Apparently Zatanna knew the truth even before she did.

“Biologically speaking, are you a guy or a girl?”

“Girl.”

“And right now?”

“Girl.”

“Oh. That must be weird for Robin,” Zatanna commented.

“It’s better now. Can we focus on the mission?” Robin asked, starting to feel a little uncomfortable. She was relieved that someone on the Team knew, but it was awkward not having been the one to reveal it herself. Although of all the people to know, Robin was glad it was Zatanna.

“Sure. My spell’s almost ready.” Zatanna opened her eyes, and they had a pale green shine. “Just remember what I said about Wally.”

“Right.” Robin nodded again, fully intent on forgetting it.


	9. Chapter 9

It didn’t take long for a suspicious building to be located. Zatanna’s spell led them to focus on the North side of the river, and Aquagirl found a waste pipe in the bank, hidden under some debris. Superboy scanned the building and relayed there was a lot of activity inside, which was especially odd considering it was late evening. Kid Flash’s preliminary run around revealed the building appeared empty, almost abandoned even, from the outside. Robin ordered a rendezvous on the roof of the neighbouring building, and everyone was once again gathered inside the camouflaged bioship. Her eyes continuously drifted over to Wally.

_You’re in love with Wally._

No she wasn’t.

 _You were jealous of M’gann, and you_ are _jealous of Artemis._

No she’s not.

_You liked him playing with your hair._

She’d be happy if (almost) anyone did that.

_You don’t want him to think Barbara is your girlfriend._

She didn’t want anyone to think that.

_Then why are you blushing?_

Robin snapped out of her internal argument and raised a hand to her face, just now noticing the heat in her cheeks. She looked away, but it was too late. She’d been staring at Kid Flash for too long and he’d noticed.

“Rob, dude, you okay?” Kid Flash asked. Robin’s mind flashed back to the mountain, before the Providence mission, when Superboy had asked something similar. Behind everyone else, Zatanna was giving her a sly smile.

“I’m fine, it’s nothing.” Robin tried to wave off his concern, but it wasn’t working. And now everyone was watching them.

“You look a little feverish,” Kid Flash pointed out.

“Robin, are you sick?” Miss Martian asked, floating forwards. “If you are, you shouldn’t join the mission.”

“I’m fine, really! The mission is important, and we should focus on that,” Robin insisted. She could feel the blush fading, now that she was distracted from her initial Wally absorbed thoughts. Very few of her comrades looked convinced, but they dropped the argument. Only Zatanna, who knew the real reason for the blush, subtly remained on topic. Anytime Robin looked her way, the magician would be pointing discreetly at Kid Flash, or making heart shapes with her hands. Robin found it all highly embarrassing, even though she remained adamant that she absolutely _did not_ love Kid Flash.

Robin quickly devised a plan and relayed it to her teammates, trying to look at everyone except for Zatanna and Kid Flash. “Everyone ready?”

“Time to get traught, right?” Artemis asked. She nudged Tula lightly and pointed to herself and Robin. “Ready to see what us non-metas are capable of?”

Robin raised her hand, and the acrobat and archer high-fived without watching, while Tula nodded eagerly. Knowing smiles crawled several faces. The two normal (for superheroes) humans of the Team never passed up an opportunity to show off and prove they were just as adept at their teammates when it comes to taking down baddies.

“Let’s go,” Robin ordered, and everyone exited the bioship. Miss Martian and Rocket flew across the gap between the two buildings while Robin grappled over, bracing herself against the warehouse wall. There was an open window two feet to her left where all three heroines would enter. Miss Martian and Rocket nodded to the acrobat, and she started counting down in the mind link.

_‘Five… four… three… two… one.’_

A single heartbeat after one, there was a resonating boom as Superboy landed in front of the warehouse doors and started trashing everything in sight. Shouts rose up from inside the warehouse and armed thugs spilled from the doors, open firing on the lesser known Kryptonian. Satisfied that the distraction was moderately successful, Robin motioned to the window.

Miss Martian went into camouflage mode and flew inside. Robin had already set the building’s camera on loop and disabled the motion sensors while they were still in the bioship. The only thing they had to watch out for now was observant goons.

_‘The immediate area is clear.’_

_‘Thanks, Miss M.’_ Robin swung inside, closely followed by Rocket. Just as Miss Martian stated, there were no thugs close by, but they could hear more of them farther in the warehouse. Obviously Superboy’s attack hadn’t draw everyone out, though it didn’t matter. Robin had already accounted for that possibility. The three girls soared through the rafters, working their way to the warehouse’s main office, where Robin could download any useful information. Halfway across the warehouse, a commotion started below.

A yellow and crimson blur rushed through the open doors, which Superboy had ripped from the building during his rampage.

“I’ll take that! And that, and that!” Kid Flash’s boisterous voice echoed around the warehouse, and the blur stopped on top of a pile of crates. The speedster emptied his arms, dumping a generous number of guns onto the boxes below him. They clattered loudly, distracting the thugs from the Atlantians’ entrance, with Zatanna close behind them.

“Nrut no eht srelknirps!” At Zatanna’s shout, the sprinklers around the building suddenly activated, a cascade of water pouring down. Robin grinned in satisfaction. So far, the plan was going perfectly. Excited as she was, she just couldn’t resist adding a rather showy flip during her next swing.

 _‘Rocket, help the others below. Miss M, you’re with me,’_ Robin instructed without breaking stride.

 _‘Sure thing, boss.’_ Rocket gave a mock salute before flying down to the action below. Robin and Miss Martian found themselves above the office in no time. There were two guards standing by the door, guns raised towards the fight, but otherwise showing no intention of moving. Robin pulled out her grapple gun and fired it towards the ceiling.

“Hahaha!” Cackling ominously, she swung down, legs straight and heels together. The goons jerked in surprise, whipping their guns around and releasing a wild spray of fire. A single bullet just barely grazed Robin’s cheek, but kicked the first goon in the chest before any others could hit. The man went flying into his partner, and they both fell.

“Miss M?” Robin asked, not wanting to risk distraction for their teammates.

“On it.” Miss Martian nodded and lifted her arm, splayed fingers aimed at the two goons. Robin could feel the pulse that was sent through the air, and felt reassured the guards would now be unconscious. She slipped inside the office and headed straight for the computer while Miss Martian remained at the door. Robin plugged into the computer and started hacking.

 _‘I have located the woman in charge of this facility. It is shimmer,’_ Aqualad said. Robin nodded, knowing a verbal response was unnecessary. Aqualad knew what to do without her saying it. After all, he was still technically leader of the Team.

 _‘I’m done! Miss Martian and I are joining the fight.’_ Robin pulled away from the computer, data safely stored, and pulled out a birdarang. She ran past Miss Martian and straight into the fray. It had been a while since she’d had a good fight. The mission in Providence hardly counted, and patrol had been rather dull as of late.

Robin relished in the chance to let loose. She whipped a birdarang at a thug trying to sneak up on Zatanna and flipped out of the way of an attack. While on her hands, Robin kicked out, taking out two opponents. Pushing off from the ground, she took out a third by using treating his chest as the floor. She heard the sharp crack of ribs breaking and grinned. Robin stood, pulling out her eskrima sticks, and prepared to take on whoever dared attack next. But there was no one. The floor was littered with unconscious and groaning thugs, who Zatanna was in the middle of restraining.

“Shimmer was able to escape,” Aqualad informed her.

“At least we secured the warehouse. We should start checking the crates,” Robin suggested, reciving a sharp nod.

“Feeling asterous?” Wally asking, zipping over to her side.

_You’re in love with Wally._

“A little more dis. You guys took all the fun,” Robin said lightly, ignoring her inner monologue.

“You’re injured,” Wally pointed out.

Robin touched the graze on her cheek, sighing at the blood on her glove when she pulled away. “Barely a scratch. A stitch and some makeup, and no one at school will even know.”

“Dude, you wear makeup?” Kid Flash asked, stifling his laughter.

“ _Dude_ , not all of us have speed healing,” Robin countered, nudging her best friend. “Hurry up and help Superboy take these guys outside. I’ll contact the League.”

“Yes, Boy Wonder, sir!” Kid Flash stood rigid, saluting as Rocket had, then sped away. Robin frowned and glanced in Rocket’s direction before quickly looking. She had not been jealous of M’gann, she was not jealous of Artemis, and she would not be jealous of Raquel when both salutes were obviously just a coincidence, and not because the two heroes were hanging out together. Besides, Rocket liked Aqualad.

_And you love Wally._

“Shut up!” Robin hissed.

“Robin?” Zatanna, who was closest, asked while looking in her direction.

“I’m fine,” Robin answered immediately, then activated her communicator. “Batman. We located and infiltrated the warehouse, and the mission was a success. I secured the information, and the thugs on sight were defeated.”

Robin glanced at the few unconscious foes still inside. None of them wore the distinctive red cloak of Kobra’s followers. “None of them are from the Cult of the Kobra, but Shimmer was here, which provides a connection.

“ _Have you searched the warehouse?_ ”

“Not yet.” Robin walked towards the closest aisle, formed by a wall of crates, and deeper into the warehouse. “The Team is clearing the last of the thugs from the building, I’m starting my search now. They’ll join me when finished.”

“ _Good. Green Lantern and I will arrive in a few minutes to help transport materials found in the warehouse. Batman out._ ’ Robin deactivated the com and looked around. The warehouse was filled with crates. The only open space seemed to be where they were fighting before. As she scanned the crates, Robin noticed a string trailing along the floor. She crouched down and slid her fingers underneath. It was wire, not string. Looking to the left, she could see it disappeared between two crats. But on the right it continued down the aisle.

Robin could faintly hear the others, who probably just returned to the warehouse. She considered contacting them first, but decided against it and started to follow the wire. Rushing through the shadows, Robin emerged in a narrow space where several aisles opened. There were three tables covered in metal boxes and liquid filled vials. The middle table had a small wooden crate on top emanating a soft blue glow, and the wire she was following disappeared inside. Several more spilled from the open top and trailed down the table into other areas of the building.

Cautious of any motion sensors not part of the central security system, Robin approached slowly. When nothing happened after a few steps she ran forwards and peered inside the box. The wires were attached to a device of alien design. The glowing was coming from a screen, which was quickly counting down.

 _‘There’s a bomb,’_ Robin informed the Team, and heard several shocked gasps in response, followed by urgent questions.

 _‘Rob, where are you, bro?’_ Kid Flash’s voice stood out among the rest.

 _‘Clear the warehouse, I’m going to attempt to disable it,_ ’ Robin said, ignoring Kid Flash’s question, and the fact that she heard him first.

 _‘No way, I’m not leaving without you._ ’

Robin blushed despite the serious situation. _‘I’m the only one who has a chance at disabling it. There’s only fifty-three seconds left, do you want to keep wasting time arguing while it counts down? If I can’t disarm it, I’ll get out.’_

_‘Promise?’_

_‘Promise. Everyone whelmed?’_

_‘Do not take any unnecessary risks,’_ Kaldur said, sounding oddly threatening. Robin smiled and got to work. The tech wasn’t of earth origin, but was modified to be earth compatible. There was a port for her to connect to. But that’s as easy as it got. Robin would have to waste precious seconds familiarizing herself with the alien system. She’d with off world technologies before, but this one was like nothing she’d ever seen. The language wasn’t any she’d encountered, and the coding itself didn’t seem to rely on a numerical system. No two symbols were alike.

Robin was down to twenty-seven seconds. She growled in frustration, fingers flying across her keyboard as the screen continuously flashed red.

Twenty-two seconds. It would take at least twelve to flee the building.

“Dammit!” Robin shouted, slamming her fist on the table. She couldn’t do it. She wanted to stay, keep trying and prove she could do this, but knew putting off escape any longer and she’d risk fiery death. She’d gotten enough of that during the failsafe mission. She synced her hologlove to the timer, snatched one of the metal boxes from a neighbouring table, and ran.

Robin glanced at the timer as she dashed between crates. Seventeen seconds. She skidded around a corner, boots sliding on the dusty floor, and finally reached the main area where they’d been fighting. Doing the first thing she could think of to speed up her escape, she whipped out her grapple gun and fired it at the top of the open door frame. It latched on tightly and Robin was jerked forwards, occasionally kicking off the ground to avoid being dragged.

The momentum of the pull swung her through the door, and Robin curled in to land rolling. She got up and started running again without pause, spying her teammates across the lot.

“I couldn’t disarm it!” Robin called, glancing at her hologlove again. “We have eight seconds, we need to leave _now_!”

The whole building was probably wired, and Robin could only guess how big the blast radius would be. They couldn’t risk being caught in the explosion. Slowing her pace as she approached, she noticed something was wrong. Someone was missing.

“Where’s KF?” She hated how desperate she sounded.

 _Three_ _seconds_ _left_.

“He went back inside to get _you_ ,” Zatanna answered with wide eyes.

 _Two_ _seconds_.

“That idiot!” Robin cried out, barely hearing the hysterical note in her voice.

 _One_ _second_.

Robin spun around, ready to spring right back into the wired building for that _stupid_ , _protective_ _idiot._

 _Zero_.

It exploded. Heated washed over her and the force of the blast knocked Robin, and the rest of the Team, of their feet. She was certain that someone was screaming at the burning building. She was almost positive that someone was her. There was a sudden rush of wind, and a familiar voice.

“Man, that was close!”

Robin didn’t even think. She threw herself at Wally, who was _alive_ and _okay_. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder and just barely resisted the urge to kiss him, because bros didn’t kiss bros. But Robin wanted to, and she finally knew why.

“Geez, dude, you’re _crushing_ me. Seriously, I’m alright, bro,” Wally said, prying her arms away.

_You’re in love with Wally._

Robin, the Kid wonder (sometimes boy, sometimes girl) was in love with their best friend.


	10. Chapter 10

The Team’s injuries were minor and they put off treatment to debrief the League members that arrived at the explosion site. As soon as Batman heard about the explosion he ordered a full League response. Only the mentors and Green Lantern Hal Jordan stayed longer than a few minutes. Hal and J’onn started sorting through the building remains and corroborating with the responding emergency services while the protégés explained what happened.

“Unable to deactivate it, I abandoned the bomb,” Robin finished.

“I get that. But why were you clinging to Kid Flash when we arrived?” Flash asked, and Robin felt her cheeks flushing. The League response had been in record time, and when they touched down, she had yet to pull her face away from Kid Flash’s chest. It had taken Green Arrow loudly clearing his throat to make her jump away. Robin had kept a healthy four people between her and Kid Flash since that moment, but continued to make furtive glances in his direction while Zatanna grinned in triumph.

“Kid Flash thought I wasn’t going to abandon the bomb, and he ran in to get me after I’d already left. He wasn’t near us when the building exploded. I was just glad he was okay, and not blown to bits,” Robin explained, lifting her head and daring anyone else to mention anything. No one did, but Batman gave her a scrutinizing stare.

“Right,” Flash nodded.

“The League will take care of cleanup. Team, you can head back to the mountain and treat your injuries. Robin, I’ll meet you in the Batcave after,” Batman said.

“Actually,” Zatanna grabbed Robin’s arm and pulled her close, “he’s going to stay at the mountain tonight, right Rob?”

Robin was about to say no, but Zatanna was giving her a meaningful look. “Yeah.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow,” Batman said after only a moment’s hesitation. Now dismissed, the young heroes loaded onto the bioship. Robin moved to her usual seat, and Zatanna took the one closest. Kid Flash was forced to take her normal spot on the other side of the ship.

“So, you have something you’d like to tell me?” Zatanna asked after they had taken off. Robin spared a glance around the aircraft. For the most part it looked like no one was paying attention to them, either absorbed in their own conversations or content with silence. But Connor glanced their way one too many times.

“Not here, okay?” Robin said, nodding in the superclone’s direction.

“Okay. It’s not like I don’t already know what you’re going to say anyways.” Zatanna nodded, and Robin groaned quietly, dreading the incoming conversation. Zatanna maintained her cheery attitude for the duration of the flight, and Robin let herself sink into her thoughts.

Wally just _had_ to run back into the building, didn’t he? He just couldn’t trust her to know when to leave, like everyone else. It was stupid, but Robin decided she was happier with denial. Not even an hour since she realized the truth, and she already wished it could be taken back. Shoved into the depths of her mind, never to be heard or felt again. But emotions didn’t work like that, and she was already struggling with the prospect of loving Wally West.

Robin had already decided she could never tell him, there were too many problems. Wally only knew Robin, and he only knew Robin as a boy. All evidence pointed to Wally being straight. The speedster would reject Robin, if it was he who confessed. But Dixie was forbidden from revealing her identity. Even worse, what it Robin confessed, and Wally _did_ reciprocate? He’d be loving a lie. Sort of. Dixie was bigender, but genetically she was female. Lots of people have a hard time separating gender and biological sex.

Even if Wally West – or Kid Flash – was to meet Dixie Grayson, she would still be lying to him. No matter what, she’d never be able to keep her identity from him. Then he’d be mad at her for lying, or he wouldn’t understand, or he’d be disgusted.

Robin drew a knee up to her chest. It was stupid, but she felt like she wanted to cry. She never cried. Hero or civilian, boy or girl, Grayson was a wall of steel. Until she learned she was in love with her best friend. It was so ridiculously feminine that she wanted to laugh. Even when she was little, Dixie Grayson had been anything but feminine. The first time she ever wore a dress was for one of Bruce’s galas.

As soon as the bioship landed Robin was out the door. She could treat her measly graze in the safety of her room. Robin dug the med-kit out of her desk and went to the bathroom. She cleaned her injury, gave it the three measly stitches, and stowed everything back where it belonged. As she was closing the drawer, Zatanna moved into the open doorway.

“Connor’s busy fussing over M’gann’s injuries, and if I remember right, your room is sound proof.” Zatanna shut the door and claimed the better part of Robin’s bed. Robin dropped into the chair at her desk and sighed.

“You were right.”

“About?” Zatanna asked, drawing out the word.

Robin gave her an annoyed look. She didn’t want to say it out loud, that would make it real.

“Come on,” Zatanna goaded.

Robin stared at her hands and grumbled.

“What was that?”

“You’re way to much like my best friend,” Robin said.

“Wally?”

“No, my civilian one. You guys are a lot alike. She realized I was bigender before I did,” Robin elaborated. Zatanna and Barbara would probably get along really well. If Barbara ever followed through with her vigilante musings which, knowing Barbara she probably would, Robin would have to introduce them.

“Okay. So are you going to say it, or is it up to me again?” Zatanna asked. She flopped backwards, lying down on Robin’s bed with her legs hanging off the end. Silence reigned for several seconds.

“You’re-”

“I’m in love with Wally,” Robin interrupted. Zatanna grinned and pulled her legs up, rolling around so could see Robin clearly. But instead of smiling sheepishly, or blushing in that adorable way she did when embarrassed, Robin was sitting stiffly, fingers curled tightly together. Zatanna couldn’t see her eyes, but based on the way the acrobat’s head was tilted, she was looking at the cluster of pictures on her desk.

The largest was of the Team, as it was now, standing outside the mountain. After the Atlanteans joined, M’gann insisted on getting a group photo. Even Roy, who’d been making one of his rare visits, was roped into it. She’d herded everyone outside and got Red Tornado to take the photo. Captain Marvel was flying in the background, having arrived just as Red Tornado took it. Connor ended up being in the center of the group, arms crossed and expression characteristically subdued, but there was a spark in his eyes. M’gann’s arms were slung across his shoulders, and she had to turn to face the camera. Kaldur was beside her, and amused look on his face. Raquel was grinning next to him. Tula and Garth were on the right, fingers entwined, and Zatanna was laughing beside them. The reason for everyone’s amusement was on the ground in front of them.

Roy was sprawled across the ground at Connor’s feet, chin resting on the heel of his hand, and an annoyed expression on his face. Wally was directly on top of him, lying across Roy’s back, with his arms spread like an excitable child. Topping off the dogpile was Robin herself. She was perched, cross-legged, on Wally’s back. Like Connor her arms were crossed, but she was grinning. Fresh from a mission in Gotham, she was the only one in uniform and had a few minor scrapes and bruises, plus a heavy bandage on her forearm.

It had been a great day. The afternoon was spent with videogames, movies, and lots of snacks. Robin officially met Kaldur’s childhood friends, was fussed over by M’gann, and set a new record for how quickly he could defeat Wally at their favourite video game.

“Robin, what’s wrong?” Zatanna asked.

“I can’t tell him.”

“What?”

“I can’t tell Wally that I… that I love him.”

“Can’t, or won’t? Zatanna sat up.

“Both. It’ll ruin everything if I do.” Robin grabbed the picture frame and turned it down. She didn’t like feeling this vulnerable. The only person she’d ever truly exposed herself to was Black Canary, after the simulation. But this wasn’t her Aunt Dinah, this was her teammate, her friend.

“Why?”

“Because he doesn’t know who I am. Batman and I, we’re detectives. It’s our job to consider the evidence, think of different scenarios. In every one I can think of, it ends badly.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because in every one, I’m lying to him,” Robin said quietly.

“Then don’t lie. Tell him who you are first, and confess after,” Zatanna offered.

“I’m not allowed to.” Robin shook her head.

Zatanna frowned for a moment, then smiled. “Llet em ruoy eman!”

Robin suddenly sat up straight and found herself speaking against her will. “Richelle Mary Grayson.”

Robin clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening, and shot out of her chair. “Zee! Why did you do that? Bats is gonna kill you, he’s gonna kill me! I’ve got to erase the feed from the security bugs, Connor could have hear, I mean-”

“Richelle, mlac nwod,” Zatanna said in a soothing tone. Robin felt a wave of calm wash over her and she sat back down. “I know who you are now. Did the world suddenly end?”

“No, but it’s more than that. The villains in Gotham, some of them would do anything to learn our identities. If they somehow find out you know, and get to you-”

“First off, how would they know I know? I’ve never been to Gotham, probably never going to go there. And if I do, I doubt it’ll be for hero business. You trust everyone on the Team, right?”

“Yeah.” Robin nodded as Zatanna reached out to comfort her.

“Good. Batman’s the one who isn’t ready and – holy shit…” Zatanna’s eyes widened and she dropped her hand.

“What?”

“You’re Richelle Grayson,” Zatanna said.

“Yeah.”

“Batman is Bruce Wayne,” she continued.

“Yeah.”

“But… Bruce Wayne, he’s a playboy. He throws extravagant parties, has a new girlfriend every other week, vacations in Thailand,” the magician rambled.

“I do too. Not the girlfriend thing. I’ve never had a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend. But technically they’re my parties too sometimes, and we vacation in Europe too,” Robin said. Zatanna’s calming spell was still in effect, but she was perfectly fine with that.

A slow smiled curled across Zatanna’s lips. “You would’ve dated me, wouldn’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just, to maintain Robin, keep up the persona. If it had been more than harmless flirting, you would have dated me.”

“I don’t know, maybe. Flirting was fun. Dating might have been fun, but probably wouldn’t have lasted long if we did.” Robin shrugged, and Zatanna’s smile widened. She leaned forwards off the bed and gave Robin a chaste kiss on the lips.

“It _would_ have been fun, wouldn’t it?” Zatanna laughed. “Since I know you’re identity, you can take of your mask. Unless you want to be in uniform all night.”

“That wouldn’t be very whelming.” Robin hesitated, then slowly peeled off her mask, officially becoming Dixie.

“Pretty,” Zatanna hummed.

“You won’t tell Wally, right?”

“I won’t tell anyone.” Zatanna held her hand out, and Dixie took it. “Ouy evah ym drow.”

Their clasped hands shone and when they pulled away, their palms were connected by a faint string of light for a moment before it all faded.

“ _That_ was pretty,” Dixie said, correcting Zatanna’s earlier statement.

“No way. I swear those are the darkest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. Richelle, you’re a doll,” Zatanna teased.

“It’s Dixie, actually.”

“Okay. And when you’re not Dixie?”

“Richie.”

Zatanna stifled a laugh. “Not very creative, are you?”

“Hey, if I was born a boy, my name would have been Richard. Richie is a nickname for that,” Dixie explained.

“Fine, I’ll give you that. But Dixie, you can’t just _not_ tell him. I’m not saying it has to be now,” Zatanna rushed out at Dixie’s defensive expression, “but you have to tell him eventually.”

“Eventually,” Dixie said with a firm nod.

“Good. Now hurry up and change. Wally will think we’re up to something if we stay in here, alone, with a closed door, any longer.”

“Wally wouldn’t – okay, yeah, he would. But I still have an identity to maintain. Just because you know my secret, that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop.” Dixie said with cheeky grin, one worthy of the prankster Robin.

Zatanna smiled and laughed, agreeing to help Dixie keep up appearances. But the moment her back was turned, the magician’s gaze settled on the downturned photograph, and a sad look crossed her face. She had a lot of work ahead of her.


	11. Chapter 11

Richie slowed down as they passed the store. He’d been in there lots of times, whenever Alfred insisted Bruce get a new shirt they went here. When Richie was younger, he liked looking at the shirts all hanging on the rack, admiring the colours. He always said he would rather where one of those dress shirts than the fancy blouses. Richie didn’t know if that was the boy in him, or just his own personal style. Maybe a little bit of both. Now that Richie acknowledged he was, in fact, a he sometimes, he wanted some of those shirts.

It felt a little ridiculous. After all, it was just a shirt. But Richie found himself staring at the rack of shirts like he was nine years old again.

“Hey, what’s up?” Barbara asked, having just noticed Richie was no longer walking beside her.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Richie shook his head. He was a boy, but if he walked in there to buy some shirts, all they’d see is a girl dressing in drag. Expensive drag, but on this body it’d be drag no less. He couldn’t go in there. Richie made to pass Barbara, continue their perusal of the mall, but was stopped by a hand on his arm.

“That means it is something,” Barbara said firmly. She looked to the left, at the store Richie had been staring at. “Oh. Come on.”

She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the store, ignoring his protests. A clerk looked up as they entered, and her eyes widened briefly before warming smile graced her face.

“Miss Grayson.” Of course she knew who he was, but the ‘Miss’ title bothered him. “And Miss Gordon. How can I help you?”

“Hi, um…”

“Claire,” the woman offered.

“Claire. Richie and I are getting a birthday present for a friend of ours, but we don’t want to accidentally give it away by asking for a size,” Barbara started smoothly. Richie appreciated her using the proper name despite the situation.

“Of course.” Claire nodded.

“He and Richie are about the same build, so we were wondering if we could get the right size by having her,” Barbara cast Richie an apologetic glance, “try them on instead.”

Claire turned to Richie, looking him up and down, trying to pretend she wasn’t deciding whether Richie’s chest was flat enough. “That should work just fine. Do you know what colours your friend likes, or what colours he looks good in?”

“Blue, for both,” Barbara said.

“Excellent.” Claire led them towards a rack of blue shirts. “I think a small would fit best, and we have a variety of styles to choose form. Slim fit, point and spread collars, French or button cuffs. Are you looking for anything specific?”

Barbara looked to Richie now.

“Not… exactly,” Richie started, feeling a little unsure of himself. “Since I- uh, he is a bit small, slim fit might be better. But he does roll up his sleeves a lot.”

Richie rubbed his bare forearms, brushing the pushed up sleeves of his blazer.

“We have a few shirts with patterned sleeves on the inside just for that, right over here. Is there anything else you need?” Claire asked.

“No, thank you. We ask if we need anything else,” Barbara assured her. Claire smiled again and went off to help another customer. As Barbara started pulling shirts from the rack, Richie gave her a grateful smile.

…

“Dude, nice shirt.” Wally whistled, speeding up to Richie and flinging open his hoodie to see the dress shirt below. “Looks expensive. Fancy part tonight?”

“Something like that,” Richie said. It had been three days since the Toledo mission. He’d left the mountain first thing the next morning and hadn’t been back until now. Mostly he’d been avoiding Zatanna, because she _knew_. She knew who he was. He couldn’t believe how calm he’d been at the time, but magic can do that. But the last three days had been spent in a state of constant worry, wondering if the magician would accidently spill his secret. His only reprieve had been at the mall earlier that day with Barbara.

Richie had returned to the manor in a good mood, but that was quickly ruined by Bruce’s serious revelation. Richie had known about the gala they’d be hosting that night for weeks, so had the rest of Gotham. An anonymous party made a very public threat towards Bruce Wayne a few days ago. In fact, the threat had been made while Robin and the others were in Idaho, but he’d only just told his ward that very day.

Bruce suspected League of Shadows involvement, which is why the Team had been called in for a mission.

Wally, as usual, was last to arrive.

Batman glared at Wally, and the speedster quickly zipped up Richie’s hoodie and sped into his spot in the lineup.

“Now that everyone’s here, I have a mission for you. I know you’re currently occupied with the Kobra plot, but this is concerning to the League. A recent threat was made towards Bruce Wayne and his daughter, Richelle Grayson. We believe the threat was made by the League of Shadows. Your mission tonight is to attend the gala, protect Wayne and his daughter, and find out why the League of Shadows is there,” Batman explained.

“So, what’s the concern to the League?” Wally asked. “I mean, the Shadows take up contracts all the time. We should still totally try and protect everyone, but what makes the Wayne’s so special?”

“This isn’t a contracted kill. Ra’s himself ordered the attack.”

“Oh.”

Richie shared a look with Batman, asking a silent question.

_Is this about the succession?_

Batman gave the slightest nod. Apparently Ra’s was still set on Bruce one day taking over the League of Assassins. Richie didn’t see why they couldn’t just handle it themselves like always. People attacked Wayne Galas all the time, nothing had stopped them before from sneaking off, suiting up, and taking the bad guys out. As long as one of them is back in civvies quick enough to be there for the aftermath.

“Do all of us need to go?” Rocket asked, and he had a point. Nine people to monitor one gala was a little excessive. Ten if you included Richie, but he’d be there as himself.

“No. Robin will be there and Artemis, you’re already attending, correct?” Batman looked to the archer, along with the rest of the Team.

Artemis scowled and blushed, muttering her explanation. “Dixie invited me. We go to school together.”

“Kid Flash, Zatanna, and Rocket will be going as well,” Batman informed them. “Take the zeta tube to Gotham at six, there will be cars waiting for you. Robin, Zatanna, can I speak to you?”

The bird and magician glanced at each other before following Batman to the therapy room, the only place sound proofed against Kryptonians.

“I want you to stay by Robin at all times,” Batman said as soon as the door was closed.

“Uh, Bats? Won’t that be a little hard when she-”

“Knows who you are?” Batman asked.

Richie’s face fell. “You know.”

“Of course I do.” Batman turned to Zatanna, a protective glare settling on his face. “If you tell _anyone_ who Robin is, or who I am, not even Superman will stop me.”

“F-from what?” Zatanna asked nervously. Richie rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly. He could tell that Batman didn’t really mean the threat. Or at least he _did_ mean it, but he also already trusted Zatanna not to tell. It was more of a formality at this point. Richie nudged the magician and sent her a reassuring look, and she immediately relaxed.

Batman stepped back, and the threatening air dissipated.

“But I only found out three days ago…” Zatanna said with a pondering expression.

“Please don’t ask it,” Richie mumbled.

“How do you already know?”

“Please don’t say it,” Richie pleaded quietly.

“Because I’m Batman,” his mentor said with an uncharacteristic smile.

Zatanna froze, gaping at Batman, then turned to Richie. “He just made a joke.”

“It’s the only one he ever makes,” Richie groaned, lowering his face into his hands. Zatanna giggled as Batman left.

“He didn’t kill us, so that’s a good thing. So this party, is that the reason for the fancy shirt?” Zatanna asked, plucking at Richie’s collar.

“No. I was with a friend, shopping, and bought a couple.” Richie fixed the collar. Damn Alfred (though he loved the man) and the habits he drilled into former acrobat about always maintaining his appearance.

“It looks good. I’m guessing it’s Richie today, does that mean you’re gonna wear this tonight?”

“I wish,” Richie grumbled

…

Richie stared at his reflection, examining the dress Alfred had given to him for the gala. He reluctantly admitted that it was nice, and looked good on him. It was sleeveless, with a sequined design on top that he realized was wings, and the bottom was made of several thin layers in varying shades of dark blue. If he spun around, or turned quickly, the dress fanned out. It reminded him of the dresses some ballerina’s wore, as he recalled the few ballet’s Bruce had taken him to.

With his neatly styled hair, the feather barrette, and his light makeup it wasn’t that bad. But Richie still wished he could have worn one of his new shirts. Alfred did always say everyone looks good in a suit.

“Mistress Dixie, are you ready?” Alfred asked, knocking lightly on his door.

“Yeah, Alfie.” Richie nodded and tore his gaze away from the mirror as the door opened.

“Handsome as ever.” Alfred smiled, and Richie returned it, happy the butler still remembered. Not long after Richie first came to the manor, Alfred had taken him shopping to buy some new clothes. The butler frequently commented that he’d look pretty, and Richie told him what his parents used to say. That he made a handsome girl, and would have been a pretty boy. That had been five years ago.

“Thank you, Alfred,” Richie said.

“Master Bruce is waiting in the hallway, and I’ve been informed that your friends have all arrived.”

Richie nodded, glancing once more at his reflection, before following Alfred into the hall. Already he could hear the muffled sounds of chatter and music, forcing its way through the closed doors. Bruce was adjusting his tie as they approached, and Alfred readily chastised him and proceeded to fix the offending article. The billionaire sighed and tossed Richie a pained smile.

“Are you sure we can’t cancel last minute?” Richie asked with a grimace.

“Don’t I wish,” Bruce said. Neither of them enjoyed parties like these, and the threat of attack only made it worse. Although Richie hoped would provide some excitement later on. Not that he was excited at the prospect of the League of Shadows attacking. Sort of.

“Your guests are waiting,” Alfred reminded them, and Richie noticed the music had stopped. It must have been seven o’clock. Alfred glanced at them both, and opened the door. Richie trailed behind Bruce, shoulders back, head high, and released a dazzling smile to their guests. He didn’t bother to pay attention while Bruce gave the customary welcome and thanks, and instead focused on the gathered crowd.

If Richie were planning an attack, he’d have assassins blend with the crowd. It was a large gathering, an extra person would be able to slip in virtually unnoticed. But everyone present at the gala had received personal invitations. Collectively, Richie and Bruce new the names and faces of every person in that room. The staff had all been vetted as well. After the anonymous threat was made Bruce focused the majority of his efforts on security for the gala. Although that was mostly for the guests’ sakes. Batman, on the other hand, had set up sensors all around the building that were constantly scanning faces and body types for any that matched known Shadows associates. Alfred was in the Batcave, watching the cameras, and then there were the partners.

That’s who Richie was looking for as he scanned the faces. Artemis was easy to find, standing by Bette and Barbara. Her dress, reminiscent of Vietnamese design, looked good. Raquel was on the other side of the room looking excitedly at all the famous faces, and Zatanna was at the front of the crowd beaming at him.

Richie winked at her, then started searching for Wally. Oddly enough, he wasn’t by the buffet table. Scanning the crowd, the speedster couldn’t be found anywhere. Richie’s smile dropped just a little and he departed the stage as soon as the music started back up. Zatanna joined him immediately.

“You don’t seem very chalant, what’s up? Nice dress by the way.”

“Uh, thanks. It’s nothing, it’s just…” Richie pinched and pulled at the fabric of his dress, feeling a little embarrassed. “Where’s Wally?”

Zatanna blinked, then grinned. “He’s doing a run around the grounds. I thought you weren’t going to-”

“I’m not!” Richie rushed out, hands up in defense. “I’m still not going to tell him. But this is the only chance Wally West and Dixie Grayson will ever have to meet. And I’m allowed to pretend, aren’t I? Just this once, I can pretend this is how it could have been.”

Richie was pleading, he knew it. Maybe he was pleading Zatanna, or himself. Either way, he needed someone to tell him that just for tonight everything could work out.

“Yeah, you can.” Zatanna nodded, then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, subtly motioning to the communicator there. “He’s on his way back. I’ll be close by.”

Richie smiled, a painfully hopeful expression, and Zatanna stepped back to the edge of the room for privacy. She pressed her communicator and waiting for the confirming beep.

“Hey, Wally. I need you to do something for me.”


	12. Chapter 12

Wally let out a low whistle at the sight of the car waiting for them outside the Gotham zeta tube.

“Fancy cars, high tech gadgets, and expensive clothes? I think Batman’s loaded,” Raquel commented. “And I don’t think we’re dressed right for a _Bruce Wayne_ party.”

Wally glanced at his outfit. It was the nicest outfit he had. A pair of dark dress pants which were the victims of a little wear and tear, and a clean button up shirt. Raquel and Zatanna’s clothes were all right, but Artemis?

“At least _we_ actually dressed up,” Wally jabbed teasingly.

“You guys remember this is a mission from Batman, in Batman’s city, right?” Artemis asked, kicked a stay pebble with her old sneakers. “I’m pretty sure he’s got the whole ‘appropriate attire’ thing covered.”

Just as Artemis finished talking, an elderly gentleman exited the limo. He was dressed in a crisp suit, and had a domino mask plastered across his eyes. The four teenagers watched him closely as he walked around the vehicle and opened the front passenger door. There were several black clothing covers draped across the seat. The man took the first one, which had a bright blue circle in the middle, and passed it to Raquel.

“Miss Crock is correct. Master Batman taken the liberty of arranging appropriate attire for you all.”

Wally’s eyes widened and he mouthed ‘Master Batman’ excitedly at the others, while Raquel took the offered cover and pulled up the zipper, revealing the dress inside.

“Wow,” she breathed, staring at the beautiful pale dress.

“Does it suit your tastes, Miss Erving?” The bat-butler asked.

“Yeah.” Raquel nodded, and glanced at Zatanna. “Think you could help me out, girl?”

“Sure.” Zatanna smiled. “ _Egnahc_ _leuqaR_ _otni_ _reh_ _sserd_.”

Smoke rose up around Raquel’s feet, snaking around her, and when it faded she was wearing the dress, her old clothes now tucked away into the cover. The butler took out the remaining three outfits. The cover with a green arrow went to Artemis, Zatanna’s had a white bow tie, and Wally’s was emblazoned with a lightning bolt. Zatanna cast her spell three more times, barely giving the others enough time to see their clothes before they were suddenly wearing them.

“It’s nice,” Artemis admitted almost begrudgingly as she smoothed the silken green fabric of her dress. “Thanks, uh…”

“Pardon me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Agent A, I work for Masters Batman and Robin,” the butler explained. “And I will be driving you to the Wayne Manor. Shall we?”

Agent A opened the back door and waved them inside. Zatanna, who was the only one not surprised by the situation, climbed inside first. She slid across the leather, trying to figure out if it was real or fake, and seated herself by the window diving the driver and passengers. Artemis was next, and Zatanna wondered if, as Richie’s friend, she’d been in a limo before. Raquel and Wally piled in after, and they each took a moment to examine the lush interior while Agent A walked around to the driver’s side. The engine rumbled to life and as the car started moving, the dividing window rolled down.

“Miss Zatara, if you’d be so kind as to open the envelope beside you,” Agent A asked. Zatanna glanced at the drink tray to her left. Trying not to disturb the crystal glasses, she grabbed the manila envelope and broke the seal. She tipped the contents onto her lap. Four sleek invitations made of stiff, black paper with elegant silver lettering, one addressed to each of them, along with three necklaces with ‘W’ charms. Zatanna passed out the invitations, which were addressed to their civilian identities, but glanced at the necklaces in confusion.

“Those necklaces will be your excuse for attending tonight,” Agent A started to explain. “You will be attending as yourselves. From what I understand, Mr. West and Miss Ervin are both excellent students, and you, Miss Zatara, are very bright as well. The Wayne foundation provides grants and scholarships to a handful of fortunate students every year. While most individuals are from Gotham, Mr. Wayne does look outside the city, and in other states for potential recipients. These candidates are given invitations to several of Mr. Wayne’s parties, so your attendance will not be unusual. Those necklaces are given to every candidates, so they can prove themselves should anyone doubt their sincerity. Miss Crock, you were invited by Richelle Grayson, were you not?”

“Yeah.” Artemis nodded.

“As Miss Grayson’s friend, you volunteered to by a guide for these three particular students leading up to the party, the car itself will have been sent by Miss Grayson. This way you can interact without arousing suspicion.”

“Um, if we’re going as ourselves, does that mean they know who we are?” Raquel asked.

“No. Mr. Wayne was contacted about the situation, and knows there will be League surveillance at the party, but does not know who. While he may be the deciding factor in who receives scholarships, he isn’t able to meet every student in person. He will simply think you are three more students taking advantage of your invitations.”

“And how’ll we find Richelle and Mr. Wayne?”

“Miss Grayson will be wearing the blue dress, and Mr. Wayne the suit.” It almost sounded like Agent A was smiling, which just couldn’t have been possible. If experience taught the young heroes anything, it’s that the bird was the only bat who smiled.

Zatanna leaned forwards to look at Wally, who was sitting at the other end of the limo. He looked good in his suit, with a dark green shirt and a lighter tie. But the magician decided the colours weren’t quite right. “ _Ekam sih trihs and eit eulb._ ”

“What the?” Wally shouted in surprise as his clothes momentarily shone. It took him a second, after the light faded, to notice the colour change. “What was that for?”

“You’ll thank me later,” Zatanna answered with a smile and settled back into her seat.

Wally shrugged. “Doesn’t matter anyway. The Wallman looks good in anything.”

Zatanna rolled her eyes, silently chastising Richie for falling in love with _Wally_ of all people. The speedster probably couldn’t do better, but the acrobat could do a lot worse. She caught a glance of Wayne Manor through the window and passed two of the necklaces over to Raquel and Wally, while looping the third one around her wrist.

The limo pulled up behind several other vehicles, and they crawled across the long gravel drive towards the manor. Besides Artemis, who’d been here before, the rest of them had only ever seen glimpses of the building during celebrity news coverage. It was very different seeing the imposing building in person.

“Miss Grayson and Mr. Wayne will be joining the party in a few minutes. I suggest you settle yourselves before then. And Miss Zatara?”

Zatanna stopped just before stepping out of the vehicle, and glanced at Agent A. He’d taken his mask off, and she could see the worry in his aged eyes.

“Please keep her safe.”

“Of course.” Zatanna beamed and followed the others.

“Everyone’s communicators are on the open channel?” Raquel asked in a soft whisper as they approached the doors.

Wally’s hand shot to his ear. “It is now. Hey, does anyone one know how we’re supposed to talk to Robin?”

“I think he’s supposed to contact us first,” Zatanna jumped in when she rejoined the group. She knew the others wouldn’t make the connection between Richie and Robin, but suspected Batman wouldn’t want the others digging into it anyways.

“Oh, really?” Wally asked, and Zatanna was pleased to note he sounded a little disappointed.

“Suck it up, Baywatch. You’re man crush has more important things to do,” Artemis drawled.

“I do _not_ have a man crush on Robin!” Wally protested loudly, and was quickly shushed by the girls.

“Whatever, let’s just get it and get it over with,” Artemis hissed. The door was opened for them as they approached, and a young girl in a black dress with a white apron smiled at them.

“ _Dude!_ They have maids!” Wally whispered loudly as they walked away.

“Are you gonna be like this for the _whole_ mission?” Artemis asked, and Wally shrugged. “Ugh. I have to meet some people anyways. I’ll tell you my position when I find them.”

Artemis stalked off, heels clicking loudly on the marble tiles.

“I’ll keep an eye on Richelle,” Zatanna offered, Batman’s instructions in mind.

“Okay. Wally, could you do a run around the estate, look for anyone that stands out?” Raquel asked. Wally nodded and dashed off, leaving a black and orange streak in his wake.

“What about you?” Zatanna asked as they entered the ballroom. Both girls stopped to admire the room and the famous faces scattered around it. Raquel had a star struck look on her face as she pulled away.

“I’ll watch the crowd,” she stated. Zatanna smiled in understanding as she moves to the front of the room. In front of the band is a clear space with a single microphone, and all the guests seem to be avoiding. It didn’t take much thought to deduce that’s where Bruce and Richie will be making their first appearance.

…

As Zatanna walked away, Richie wandered along the outskirts of the party. He smiled it his guests, greeted the ones who approached, and thanked the others who complimented his appearance. He made his way to Artemis, Bette, and Barbara, intent on teasing the archer before going off to find Wally. Richie skipped towards them, acting for all intents and purposes just like Dixie Grayson should, and grinned up at her teammate.

“Artemis! I’m so happy you could come. I wasn’t sure if you would this time.” Richie beamed. He caught Barbara’s eye, and noticed how the redhead was trying to suppress her laughter. Being the daughter of the commissioner, and since Gordon was also aware of the League’s involvement tonight, Babs knew all about the Team’s attendance.

“I didn’t go last time, so…” Artemis shrugged. She probably would have attended anyways, but she could pretend the mission was the only reason.

“I love your dress. Where’d you get it?” Richie asked innocently.

“My mom got it,” Artemis said in a hurry, something she always did when lying. She paused, tilting her head slightly, before continuing. “I, I told her about the party, and she wanted me to wear something knew.”

“It suits you.” Richie knew it would. He was the one who picked it out, with Alfred’s help. “I saw you came here with a few other people, who were they?”

Bette looked at Artemis in surprise, while Barbara was shaking. Artemis had a slightly panicked look on her face as she started to explain.

“They’re, um, some of those potential grant students. You know, the thing your dad does? They’re from out of Gotham, and needed a place, to stay. Mr. Wayne asked, so I said yes.” Artemis shrugged again.

“Really? I didn’t know that. Thanks! I feel like we should do something for you. I can talk to Bruce about it.” Richie smirked as Artemis’ eyes widened.

“No, that’s okay it’s not necessary!” Artemis rushed, arms up in protest.

“Are you sure?” He asked.

“Absolutely.”

“Okay.” Richie shrugged. He looked over Artemis’ shoulder and saw Zatanna giving him a thumbs up. “Anyways, there’s someone I have to go see. I’ll find you guys later.”

He smiled again and walked away.

“ _Doog kcul_ ,” Zatanna whispered as he passed. Richie put his hand on the door and offered a brilliant confident grin.

“I’m the Kid Wonder. I hardly need luck.”

…

As Wally ran around the manor, he found his eyes drawn to the most peculiar spots. The chandeliers above his head, the top of bookcases, and through windows. He was constantly expecting Robin to make his appearance in some absurd place, like he usually does. But the Boy Wonder was nowhere to be seen. Logically speaking, he was probably already in the ballroom somewhere, mingling with Gotham’s social elites. It was an interesting image.

Finished searching inside, and finding nothing and no one suspicious, Wally zoomed outside. He did a quick loop around the building, blowing by some late guests as he passed the front entrance, and whipping up a wind that had them stumbling. He ran up and down the driveway, and sped through a copse of trees at the side of the house. He didn’t see any people, but noted several white marble markers. He went around to the back of the house, ran past a pool, and stopped in a well-manicured garden at the edge of the property. He was a fair distance away from the house now, and looked towards it as he stood among the flowers. In the fading daylight, and with the sun behind Wally, the windows were painted dark hues of orange and yellow with splashes of red on a black brick canvas.

As Wally stared at the building, his thoughts were drawn to Robin, and the Toledo mission. The speedster had been feeling strange ever since then. Knowing his best friend was inside the building trying to disarm a bomb that could have been seconds away from hitting zero, it was only natural for him to be worried and scared. The others were too. But as Wally had stood outside, speed shuffling from foot to foot, he’d had a strange thought. Robin couldn’t die before.

Before what?

Before him?

Before Wally got to know who he really was?

Before he got to properly lead the Team, like they all knew he would?

Even if all those things happened, Wally still wouldn’t want Robin to die. Of course he wouldn’t, Robin was his best friend, and the younger hero meant a lot to him. But Wally felt like he was missing something, something important.

They had both been okay. And although Robin embraced him for longer than was necessary, Wally didn’t mind it. In fact, he enjoyed it. Knowing that Robin was _there_ and he was _alive_.

Wally shook his head. They were on a mission, he didn’t have time to ponder this – even though he wasn’t really doing much – he could worry about these things later. Besides, he wanted to go to the party.

“ _Hey, Wally. I need you to do something for me_.” Wally jumped in surprise as Zatanna’s voice sounded in his ear. He fumbled for the button on his communicator so he could reply.

“Uh, sure.” Wally nodded.

“ _Can you keep an eye on Richelle for a few minutes? I, uh, want to try a spell, see if I can find anyone with ill intent._ ”

“ _You okay, girl?_ ” Raquel asked, reminding both of them this was an open channel.

“ _Totally. But it’ll take us forever if we just_ watch _people. We might not find the assassin until they make a move. I thought we could try and get a jump on them._ ”

“Okay. Where is she?” Wally started running back to the house.

“ _Edge of the party. Blue dress, you can’t miss her._ ”

“Got it.” Wally slowed to a jog as he neared the ballroom. The doors were closed now, and as he reached out to grasp the handle, it suddenly open and smacked him in the face.

“Oh! I’m so sorry, are you okay?”


	13. Chapter 13

Wally, now seated on the floor, groaned and gently probed his nose. It wasn’t broken, but it was definitely bleeding. He looked up and saw a pair of wide, bright blue eyes inches from his own.

“Um, what?” Wally asked, blushing a little. The girl was sort of pretty. Scratch that, she was _really_ pretty. And also a little handsome? And now Wally didn’t hear what she said, _again_ , because he wasn’t listening.

“Uh…”

She giggled. “Are you okay?”

Wally nodded slowly, touching his bleeding nose again, and looked at her blue dress. The girl grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. Once standing, and seeing how much shorter she was, Wally was impressed with her ability to do so. She started dragging him down the hall, and pulled a stumbling Wally up a winding staircase and into a bedroom with dark blue walls. The girl marched him towards the connected bathroom, sat him on the edge of the tub and shoved a wad of toilet paper in his hands before rummaging around in the cupboard under the sink.

“Is it okay for us to be in here?” Wally asked, tilting his head up to try and slow the flow of blood.

“Yes. It’s my room,” the girl answered as remerged with a first aid kit.

“Your…?” Wally frowned, and light haze in his mind cleared as he remembered what Zatanna had said to him. “You’re Richelle Grayson.”

“Call me Ri- Dixie. And hold still.” Dixie poured a few drops of hydrogen peroxide on a cotton swab and dabbed the bridge of his noise. Wally hissed at the sting and leaned forwards, seeing a split in the skin across his nose.

“Sorry, again,” Dixie said quietly.

“Hey, it’s all good!” Wally said. “Besides, if it leaves a mark, some chicks dig scars anyways.”

Dixie stifled a laugh. “It won’t, sorry. No scar-digging chicks for you.”

“Damn,” Wally huffed, and she laughed again. He liked the sound, and it seemed almost familiar to him. Dixie finished disinfecting the cut, and slapped bandage across it.

“All done, and I think the bleeding’s stopped.” Dixie quickly washed her hands, stepping back so Wally could do the same. He slowly pulled the toilet paper away from his nose and probed the area, confirming what she’d said.

“Thanks, babe.” It took Wally a second before he realized calling _Bruce Wayne’s_ daughter babe might not have been a good idea, although it was surprising he realized it at all. Images of a pissed off billionaire father tossing him out of the manor crossed his mind. But instead of slapping him or storming away, Dixie actually smiled softly. Wally noticed he was staring when Dixie finished putting everything away, smoothed out her dress, and looked at him with a raised brow.

“Come on,” Dixie said, before Wally could try and explain himself. She grabbed his hands again and led him down the hall. But instead of returning to the gala, they went towards the back of the manor.

“Oh, um, don’t you need to go back to the party?” Wally asked quickly. “It _is_ your party, people will notice if you’re gone too long.”

“It’s my dad’s, technically,” Dixie corrected him. “And they can do without me for a little while, I need some fresh air.”

She dropped Wally’s hand, and he stepped forwards, reaching out, before pulling back and wondering why he did so. Dixie opened a set of balcony doors and marched up to the railing, standing on the tips of her toes to lean over it. When she cast a backwards glance at Wally, he joined her.

Wally felt awkward in the silence that followed. First because _Richelle Grayson_ was standing right beside him, and secondly he was protecting this girl tonight. But he had this nagging feeling that she didn’t really need protection. There was a certain feel to her, the way she spoke and carried herself, and her surprising strength. This was not a girl who relied on others for her safety. Wally ducked his head, wondering if he should say something. Despite what Dixie said, they really should return to the party. It would be much easier to protect her there. He was about to tell her as much, in paraphrase of course, when he noticed that she was no longer beside him.

Wally stiffened when he registered her absence and looked around. He hadn’t heard the door open, which meant she was still outside. He ran to the stairs leading down to the patio, grabbing the banister and whipping around when he reached the bottom. Wally skidded to a stop to avoid tripping over the small girl.

“Got you.” Dixie laughed.

Wally’s face flushed. “Didn’t someone threaten you tonight? You probably shouldn’t run off.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be protecting me? You shouldn’t let me out of your sight,” Dixie countered.

“I- what, no, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m a potential scholarship recipient,” Wally said quickly, showing Dixie the necklace he had wrapped around his wrist.

“Right. Like I wouldn’t know all of the candidates?” Dixie asked with a smirk.

“Well, you- but Agent A- Batman said you didn’t know who we were!” Wally protested, making Dixie giggle.

“You know Batman? That’s so cool!” Dixie gasped excitedly, though she had a mischievous glint in her eyes. “And I _don’t_ know who you are, although you did just confirm you’re with the League. You should probably work on that.”

Wally sputtered a response, trying to defend himself, but was stopped by Dixie’s amused expression.

“Batman contacted Bruce, told him the League would send protection. The bigwigs would be pretty recognizable, though Martian Manhunter could be hear. Unless you’re him?”

Wally shook his head.

“Good. It’d be a little weird to flirt with an alien older than my dad.”

“Wait, you’re flirting with me?”

Dixie smiled again. “Of course I am. A mysterious stranger, sent to protect me from the bad guys? It’s the start of a cheesy action movie.”

“Only if I get the girl in the end.” Wally winked.

“We’ll see.” Dixie patted the ground beside her, and Wally sat down, not at all thinking about how expensive the suit he wore was. “Anyways, I knew the Justice League had sent some people. But everyone knows how Batman doesn’t like other heroes in his city. I’ve heard stories about the first time Superman ever came here. But last year someone claimed they saw a couple of sidekicks here. I’m kind of a big superhero fan.”

Dixie blushed, pulling her knees up and glancing at Wally. “The other heroes and sidekicks are a lot more open than Batman and Robin, but I hadn’t heard anything about them tonight. I’m guessing you’re one of them?”

“Uh, yeah.” Wally nodded. He could have denied it, probably should have, but damn Dixie was smart. She probably wouldn’t have believed him if he did anyways.

“You don’t have to tell me which one. Secret ID and all that, not like I know your name anyways.”

“Right. So, what’s tonight for anyways?” Wally asked.

“Raising money to fund Gotham orphanages, and improve the foster system. You probably know my story, most people do.”

Wally nodded, not wanting to interrupt.

“After Zucco, I was put up in a foster home for a couple of days. But they were already taking care of three other children, couldn’t handle one more. No other foster homes were available either, and the orphanages were full. In Gotham, it’s legal to send a kid to juvie if there’s nowhere else to put them. I was there for a month before Bruce was finally approved for fostering.” Dixie shuddered, and Wally hesitantly put an arm around her shoulders. As much as he claimed to be, he wasn’t good with girls. Flirting? Yes, though he was constantly denied. Being around them normally, or comforting them? Wally severely lacked experience in that area. Most of his cousins were guys, and he wasn’t close to any of the girls anyways. But considering how Dixie leaned into him, he figured he’d done the right thing.

“Can they still do that?”

“No. Bruce sued after he took me in, the system was changed. Everything became a little cramped after that, since they were already tight on room for new orphans. But we’ve worked over the years, built a few more orphanages. We’re hoping to fix everything permanently one day,” Dixie explained. She dropped her chin onto her knees for a moment before pulling away. She stood up, brushed any dirt off her dress, and held out her hand.

“Isn’t the guy supposed to help the girl up?” Wally asked, accepting her hand.

“Usually, but I don’t make a very good damsel.”

“So much for the action movie. Does this mean you’ll be saving me tonight?”

“Oh, probably.”

Wally laughed. Once again he expected them to head back to the party, but Dixie instead started walking down the meandering stone path towards the small copse of trees. Knowing he shouldn’t leave her alone, he followed.

“Sorry about this,” Dixie said suddenly.

“About what?”

“You, having to stick with me. I know you’d probably rather be doing something else.”

“No way, I like this.” Wally shook his head, falling back a step and missing Dixie’s smile. He was about to catch up when he heard Artemis.

“ _Wally, where are you?_ ”

“With Dixie, we’re outside.

“ _Ooh, you’re calling her Dixie now?_ ” Zatanna interrupted, her tone teasing and excited.

“She asked me to,” Wally replied in irritation, making the magician laugh.

“ _Remember why we’re here. You should come back inside soon._ ”

“Yeah, just as soon as we’re done out here.”

“ _Done what?_ ” Zatanna sounded a little too eager for the answer to that question to be more than what it really was.

“Talking. I’ll bring her inside soon.”

“ _Have fuuuun!_ ”

Wally rolled his eyes and quickly followed Dixie, who had disappear somewhere farther down the path.

…

Richie looked at Wally when he stopped, noticing the way he tilted his head. Someone was talking on the communicator. If he could have, Richie would have taken his and hacked their frequency, so he could hear their conversation. But both Bruce and Alfred forbade him from doing so.

Knowing Wally would be right behind him, Richie continued forwards. He couldn’t resist the smile that spread across his face. Richie hadn’t been planning on pulling the whole ‘knowledgeable protect-ee’ bit, but just went with it anyways. He had to say, this was asterous. Richie’s smile quickly fell, knowing that _this_ could never actually happen. He wished, not for the first time in the past couple of days, that he could just be a girl. It would make things so much easier, make them possible.

But things didn’t work like that. It wasn’t a choice, it just _was._ He wondered if maybe this had been a bad idea. After all, he was only causing more harm to himself in the long run. But Richie couldn’t stand not knowing. It wasn’t a bad trait for a vigilante to have, but it had led to a lot of dangerous situations in the past.

Richie stopped walking when he reached the plot of land in the middle of the trees. The Wayne family graveyard. He focused on the newest graves, which had been moved there when Bruce officially adopted him. There were two wide stones, one for John and Mary Grayson, and the other for Richard, Karla, and Johnny Grayson. Richie had been touched by the offer when Bruce made it, to include his family with the Wayne’s. At first he thought only his parents were going to be moved, but Bruce later said he would never separate them, and since they were Richie’s family, they were his as well.

It had been a while since Richie’s last visit. Since they had been moved closer, he took a moment on birthday’s to see them, and he was always there on the anniversary of their deaths. But other than that, he didn’t visit often. He just wasn’t one of those people that did that. And Richie knew his family wouldn’t want him to constantly be dragged back by what was lost, and instead focus on what he could gain. That’s why he was there now.

“Mom, Dad,” Richie whispered, not wanting Wally to hear. “I love Wally, and it should be asterous, but… it’s not. It’s too whelming. I’m not Dixie Grayson anymore. I mean, I am, but I’m Richie too. And he doesn’t know who I am, and I just…”

Richie’s eyes started to blur, and he quickly wiped the tears away. “Why do I want to cry?”

“Because you miss them?

Richie almost jumped in surprise, quickly rubbing his watery eyes, and looked away from Wally as he approached.

“Right…” Richie nodded. He did miss them, terribly, but he hadn’t cried over them in a couple of years. He hadn’t cried over anything in a couple of years. It was frustrating, that loving Wally had that kind of power over him.

“We should probably go back. People threatening to kill you and all?”

“Yeah.” Richie laughed softly, taking a quiet, shaky breath. “Let’s go.”

He spun around, walking briskly towards the house, but was stopped when Wally grabbed his hand.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t, I don’t know why I did that.” Wally chuckled, quickly pulling his hand away.

“It’s fine, it’s nice. You-” Richie froze, turning his head slowly. He heard something in the trees. Because of the wall around the estate, they didn’t get any large animals. Smaller ones could squeeze through the gate, but none heavy enough to snap twigs.

“We need to go, take a deep breath,” Wally said, grabbing Richie’s hand and pulling him into his arms. Richie quickly wrapped his arms around Wally’s neck as they sped towards the house. The speedster stopped only once they were safely inside. Richie tumbled from his arms, stumbling to gain his bearings.

“Kid Flash,” he said, glad to finally be able to acknowledge Wally’s identity.

“And the little bird,” a low voice growled. Richie spun around, backing into Wally, and stared at the nameless Shadow assassin that found them.

“You’re coming with me, girl.”


	14. Chapter 14

As the assassin lashed out, Richie reacted on instinct. He folded backwards, bended at the knees, and dropped to the floor so the sword swung harmlessly through the air. He rolled and popped back up to his feet, spinning around and kicking the assassin in the chest. The blow wasn’t as effective as it could have been, what with Richie wearing thin flats, and feeling a little self-conscious in his dress. As the assassin fell, he quickly flatted the numerous layers of skirt and looked at Wally, blushing.

“Did you see?” Richie asked, a little upset he hadn’t worn shorts underneath like he usually did.

“W-what?” Wally stuttered, looking between Richie and the assassin.

“Did you see?” The heir demanded again.

“I, uh, no!” Wally said quickly.

“Good.”

The assassin stirred, and Richie grabbed Wally’s hand, running towards the ballroom.

“How’d you do that?” Wally asked.

“I’m a circus kid, and I took self-defence classes. This _is_ Gotham,” Richie explained, thankful he had an excuse ready.

“Right. Hold on, this is will be faster.” Wally once again scooped Richie up in his arms and took off using his super speed. Their entrance into the ballroom was accompanied by a gust of wind. Wally thankfully had the mind to throw on his goggles and protect his identity. He started to contact the rest of the Team while Richie, still holding Wally’s hand, dragged him off to find Bruce.

“Dad!” Richie shouted as they approached. It wasn’t a term he used often, and it immediately caught Bruce’s attention. “They’re inside!”

Richie’s statement was punctuated by the sound of shattering glass, followed by a scream, as several of the windows were smashed and black clothed figures swung into the room. Richie immediately lost sight of Bruce as Gotham’s richest and most cowardly citizens shrieked and immediately started panicking. Some were frozen in fear, while most ran towards the doors. They immediately back tracked as several assassins blocked their path.

Amidst the retreating crowd, Zatanna, Artemis, and Raquel leapt into action. Their dresses replaced with their hero uniforms thanks to Zatanna’s magic. Wally grabbed his Flash ring from his pocket and became a blur of movement, quickly becoming Kid Flash.

Richie, however, was trapped. The assassins were after him and Bruce, and he seriously doubted he would be allowed to slip out of the ballroom undetected. Richie had no idea where Bruce was, and Robin couldn’t make an appearance, which meant he had to fall into the roles of frightened civilians. But he knew very well that frightened civilians did stupid things all the time. Who was to say he couldn’t either?

Richie dashed towards the buffet table and snatched up a particularly heavy silver platter, the food that had been spread across it falling to the floor. Kid Flash, who had followed him, grumbled softly about lost food while Richie whipped the platter towards the closest assassin. It clipped their head, and they promptly went down.

“Good throw,” the speedster said.

“Thanks. I play Frisbee with my dog. Shouldn’t you be fighting?” A streak of yellow zoomed around the room and various assassins dropped. A moment later, Kid Flash reappeared beside him.

“Someone has to protect you. You _are_ a target,” Wally pointed out.

“By proxy. It’s my _dad_ they want.” Richie glanced around. It was only the assassins and heroes now. Ra’s had apparently gone all out with his orders. They were outnumbered five to one. But being stuck in civilian mode, Richie couldn’t actually fight his five.

Kid Flash took off again, although he always stayed close, and joined the fighting. Richie snatched up another platter, his eyes narrowing. The guests were corralled against the back wall of the ballroom, away from any potential exists, and the heroes were losing. Three assassins swarmed Zatanna, restraining her arms and gagging her mouth. Artemis fared better with distance fight. While she was adept at close combat, not being able to use her bow seriously hindered her abilities. Rocket was putting up a good fight, but with so many enemies, she couldn’t keep the focus needed to maintain her kinetic bubbles.

Someone had also scattered caltrops on the floor, and while Kid Flash avoided most, he couldn’t skirt around them all. There as a sharp yelp, and the yellow blur slowed to a solid form, stumbling and hopping as he clutched his foot. Kid Flash was now vulnerable to attack, and the assassins would waste no time. Richie dashed forwards, careful to avoid the caltrops, and poured his strength into a single, powerful swing. With a loud _gong_ the platter in his hand connected with an assassin’s face. Richie followed through with the swing and the assassin was lifted off his feet and thrown back into another.

“Self-defences classes?” Kid Flash asked incredulously.

“Creative self-defence classes,” Richie said.

“Who even _gives_ creative self-defence classes?”

Before Richie could answer, he caught a blur of movement in the corner of his eye. Ignoring the crowd of spectators, and the risk to his identity, he lunged forwards, flipping over a chair, and pushed Kid Flash down. A sharp blade dug into his shoulder. It felt like the wound was on fire and Richie gasped, dropping his head to Kid Flash’s chest. Tears of pain gathered in his eyes as he squeezed them shut, breathing sharply.

“Dixie!” Kid Flash quickly sat up, shifting Richie so he was sitting in his lap. Richie could feel the wound was deep, and Kid Flash’s gasp confirmed it. “ _I’m_ supposed to be the knight in shining armour.”

“I told you I’m not much of a damsel.” Richie gasped. He felt something cold and sharp against his neck, and struggled to open his eyes. His vision was blurry, but he could make out the shape of a sword. There was another pressed to Kid Flash’s throat. The heroes lost.

Richie felt himself being hoisted up and groaned as his bad arm was pulled. The entire limb burned now, and he groggily came to the conclusion that the blade had been poisoned. He was marched forwards, leaning heavily against Kid Flash. Richie’s left arm hung limply, and he blindly groped with his right, searching for Kid Flash’s hand.

To stabilize himself, of course. Not at all because of the comfort it would provide.

Richie found Kid Flash’s arm, and his hand drifted down. His fingers ghosted over a metal cuff before curling around Kid Flash’s. The speedster had been bound and, now that Richie listened closely, his steps seemed more like a shuffle. Kid Flash’s feet were restrained, and Richie hadn’t even seen it happen. He wondered if he’d blacked out for a moment, which was especially worrying. The burning sensation had spread towards his chest, but since it had taken so long maybe that meant it was slow acting. The thought provided little solace.

They were shoved through a doorway, and Richie’s injured shoulder hit the frame, making him gasp in pain as a fresh blood poured from the wound. He could vaguely hear Kid Flash say “Hey!” as they were ushered along, but the words were garbled, like listening to something underwater.

Richie, who was feeling rather sluggish now and breathing heavily, gathered the necessary strength to weakly squeeze Kid Flash’s finger, and lifted his head so he could see where they were. They were just passing through the foyer, only a handful of assassins with them. It looked like most had stayed behind in the ballroom to contain the guests. Zatanna was on his left, now successfully bound, and Artemis and Rocket were beside Kid Flash.

Richie stumbled over the Persian rug and lurched forwards. With only weak arm to brace himself, he barely avoided face planting. The other heroes were forced to their knees beside him, each one with a swords pressed to the back of their necks. A figure clad in green and black robes with grey and white streaked hair walked into view and stopped before them.

“Ra’s,” Richie slurred, his voiced laced with venom and bordering on a growl. He was too disoriented to think about the fact that Richelle Grayson shouldn’t even know what Ra’s Al Ghul looks like, much less have a reason to speak so personally with him.

“Young detective,” Ra’s greeted amicably. “I’m a bit disappointed. Even with my ample warning, your defenses were lacking. Although, you seem distressed.”

“Of course she’s distressed! She’s injured!” Kid Flash spat, while Zatanna mumbled angrily into her gag.

“Sidekicks, Artemis. I’m so pleased you could join us.” Ra’s smiled.

“Great One,” Artemis drawled sarcastically. “The pleasure’s all yours.”

“Of course, I already said so.” Ra’s nodded at the assassins behind them, and the blades pressed to everyone’s necks moved around to their throats. The assassin behind Richie grabbed his hair and yanked him up. He was in too much pain to resist.

“Now, young detective.” Ra’s started pacing. “I’ve grown tired of my long pursuit and see now that it may be futile, but l have set my eyes on a new target and-”

Ra’s stopped pacing and looked at Richie, scowling lightly. “Young detective, are you even paying attention?”

Richie’s head dipped weakly, but Ra’s wasn’t satisfied. He stepped forwards and dug his fingers into Richie’s wound, making him scream.

“Stop!” Kid Flash shouted. Ra’s did, but only after several more seconds. He wiped the blood on his hand onto Richie’s desk and continued talking as if he’d never stopped.

“I realized that it’s always best to start young. I’d prefer to start from scratch, like my daughter suggests, but that will take a long time, far too long. This is much easier. So, young detective, I’d like to propose a deal.”

Richie didn’t respond, and Ra’s sighed. He raised a hand and flicked his fingers. The knife against Kid Flash’s throat shifted slight, and a trickle of blood appeared on his skin. Richie mumbled weakly, now barely able to keep his eyes open. His whole body burned now, and he would have fallen back to his knees if the assassin behind him wasn’t still holding his hair.

“Come with me, or they die,” Ra’s casually explained. Richie quickly found the strength to hold himself up and took a shaky step forwards. Kid Flash, completely disregarding the sword at his throat, started to rise as well.

“She can’t walk on her own,” he pleaded. Richie swayed slightly, further proving the speedsters point. Ra’s nodded sharply and Kid Flash was allowed to stand, providing a shoulder for Richie to lean on. Only one assassin accompanied them through the house, and Richie had just enough lucidity to realize they were heading towards Bruce’s study. He just hoped Ra’s hadn’t found the Batcave entrance.

As they walked, Richie’s hand disappeared briefly into the folds of his dress, then casually drifted to Kid Flash’s hands. The assassin escorting them remained oblivious.

“Wait here,” Ra’s instructed. The assassin grabbed Kid Flash to stop him from entering the study. Just before Richie went in, he tilted his head towards the speedster.

“Three sharp blasts,” he whispered. The door closed behind Richie, and he gasped when he raised his eyes.

Ra’s smiled cruelly. “Now, our deal.”

…

Wally was not flexible. He was tall, and lean, but he wasn’t flexible. So how the hell did Dixie expect him to use the whistle she’d shoved into his palm? He spared a glance at the assassin that was guarding him, who looked to be a young woman. Wally groaned, feigning exhaustion, and leaned against the wall. The woman hardly reaction. He took it a step further and hunched over slightly, sliding down to the floor and struggling to slip his bound wrists beneath him as he did so.

It wasn’t easy, but by the time Wally was sitting, his arms were in front of him. But now he had a problem. The movement required to bring up his legs, and pass his hands under his feet, couldn’t be passed off as something casually, and it was too big to go unnoticed. He fumbled with the whistle in his hands, peering down at it. It was thin and silver, not like a regular whistle. He only had one idea, and he was thankful there was no one to see it.

Glancing at the assassin to make sure she wasn’t paying too much attention to him, Wally pressed his forehead to his knees. He brought the whistle up and slipped it between his lips, mentally preparing himself for the assassin’s reaction, and blew into it three times.

But nothing happened. It wasn’t that the assassin didn’t reaction, there was no sound besides the whoosh of air. Wally frowned and tried again. Still no sound. He spat the whistle into his palm, turning it over. The style looked familiar, but he just couldn’t figure it out.

“Hey!”

Wally looked up to find the assassin staring down at him.

“What are you doing?” She grabbed his shoulder and shoved him back, and once again that day Wally was impressed by the strength of someone smaller than him. The jolt of his back slamming against the wall made the whistle slip through his fingers, and the small object made a surprising loud sound against the wooden floor. The assassin shoved Wally against the wall with her forearm and picked up the whistle.

“What the hell?” She stared at it, then glanced the hero in her grasp. “Why do you have a dog-”

Wally scrambled back as a large animal barrelled around the corner, slamming into the assassin. It was snarling and growling. As soon as she went for a weapon, its teeth sank into her shoulder and it jerked several times, tearing the wound open.

It was a dog, a German Shepherd. But it was bigger than any German Shepherd Wally had ever seen before. While it was chowing down on the assassin’s shoulder, the dog briefly glanced at him, and he worried for a second that he would be next. The assassin was dropped, now thoroughly incapacitated, and the dog trotted forwards. It considered Wally, sniffed his clothes, and promptly licked his face.

“Whoa, hey, uh, good dog? Down girl, or boy.” Wally rose to his feet, cursing the cuffs around his ankles. He could take small, shuffling steps, but he couldn’t run. He knew from experience that if he tried to speed away, he’d only trip himself. Super speed didn’t mix well with small steps. But he could shoulder slam a door no problem.

He backed up to the other side of the hall, and did a sort of hopping run, leaning down to ram into the door. It swung open at the lightest touch and Wally stumbled straight into Dixie. The barrel of the shotgun she was holding was forced upwards and pressed into his chin.

“Don’t shoot!” Wally shrieked.

“I won’t!” Dixie retorted, sounding rather calm for a girl holding a gun. She even looked better, too. Her skin wasn’t as pale as it had been minutes before, and the sick sheen of sweat was gone, along with her panting. Her shoulder was now expertly bound, and Ra’s Al Ghul was gone.

“Where did he go?” Wally asked.

“Window,” was Dixie’s quick reply. She stepped back, aimed the shotgun gown, and fired. Wally yelped and jumped away, then realised his jump was successful, and not at all hindered by his chains.

“That’s what the gun was for?”

“That’s what the gun was for.” Dixie nodded and tossed the weapon away. “I was just about to leave as you tried to bust the door down, “I’m guessing.”

“Yeah. We have pretty great timing, don’t we?” Wally gave her a sly smile.

“At least your face is still intact,” the heiress giggled. “But your friends, the other heroes. You should go help them.”

“I’m supposed to protect you,” Wally said, feeling a little conflicted.

“I’ll be fine. No one else knows we’re here, and I have Ace.” Dixie loving patted the German Shepherd’s head. “Now _go.”_

Wally still wasn’t satisfied, but he listened. Hey ran back to the foyer, body checking the assassins still threatening his friends, and ripped off Zatanna’s gag as he went.

“ _Dnib meht!_ ” Zatanna shouted, and the swords in the assassin’s hands turned to metal ropes, and coiled themselves around their middles.

“Where’s Richie?” She asked.

“Richie?”

“I mean Dixie. Richelle, where is h- she?”

“Safe. It’s those guests who aren’t.” Wally pointed in the direction of the ballroom.

“Wait! We need a plan,” Artemis said, grabbing Wally’s shoulder before he could take off. They all looked to Rocket, who was still technically the de facto leader of the mission.

“Oh, um…”

“ _Artemis, you draw their attention while Kid Flash focuses on disarming. Rocket, you maintain distance and contain, while Zatanna works on getting the civilians outside. I’ve already alerted the GCPD, not to mention the commissioner’s daughter is in that crowd, so she may have done so as well._ ”

“Rob!” Wally grinned and immediately perked up, an action not missed by a certain magician. “Where have you been, bro? You’ll _never_ guess who I just spent the last hour with!”

“ _I got held up, Shadows on the outside. I just saw Ra’s fleeing the building and I’ll be with you right about now._ ” There was an echo to the end of Robin’s sentence as he suddenly appeared beside them.

“ _Dude!_ There aren’t even any shadows here, how can you do that melting out of the darkness?” Wally asked.

“It’s not melting out of the darkness, it’s walking out of a hallway.” Robin jerked his thumb at the corridor behind him. “Not my fault your Kid Oblivious.”

“So oblivious,” Zatanna agreed with a smothered laugh.

“Robin, you said I’m supposed to distract. With what?” Artemis asked, holding out her empty hands for emphasis. Robin pulled something from behind his cape and passed it to her. A sleek, collapsible black bow with a small quiver of arrows.

“Is this a bat bow?” Artemis asked.

“Call it whatever you like, I saw it’s being prepared. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Robin cackled and spun with a swish of his cape. Just as Wally suspected, the Wayne guests were just as before, crowded against the wall and surrounded by assassins. Artemis charged in first, spouting insults and shooting arrows. Several enemies charged to take her out, but Wally quickly rushed in to disarm them. Moving at super speed, he could watch everything. Zatanna turned herself invisible to sneak past the assassins, and created a hole in the wall for the guests to slip through. Rocket threw out her hands and generated a kinetic field around a trio of assassins that made the poor decision of grouping together.

Robin darted between the remaining assassins, flipping and cackling while using his best moves. But Wally could notice something off about it. The Boy Wonder was laughing, but he didn’t sound particularly joyful. It made the whole experience even more disturbing than normal.

Their enemies were quickly either disarmed, disabled, or immobilized.

As soon as the action was over, Robin’s hand shot to his ear. “I’ve gotta go, Batman needs me. Can you guys handle the police?”

“Yeah, go,” Zatanna answered before anyone else could.

Wally glanced between them. Something strange had happened between the acrobat and magician, he could feel it. There were a lot of subtle, meaningful glances being passed between them, and he didn’t like that. _Wally_ was supposed to be Robin’s best friend. _They_ were supposed to pass meaningful glances. Well, a certain kind of meaningful glances. Not the ones he was suspecting from Robin and Zatanna.

Was he jealous?

Wally shook his head, of course he wasn’t. But that didn’t stop him from frowning as Zatanna gave Robin a discreet thumbs up, accompanied by a flirtatious wink.


	15. Chapter 15

As soon as Richie was out of sight of the Team, he pulled his hand away from his ear and ripped off his mask. It wasn’t a lie that Batman needed his help, only the call had been fake. He ran through Bruce’s study, ignoring the first aid kit open on the desk, the splash of blood on the carpet, and the leather pouch containing three empty syringes. In five minutes the relieving concoction Ra’s had given him would wear off, and the pain and fatigue would confirm. It didn’t help that Richie had probably exacerbated his injury with his acrobatic stunts in the ballroom, but it was amazing how he hadn’t felt any pain. Not the slightest twinge.

Too bad it wouldn’t last.

He practically flew down the stairs and bounded towards the Batcave’s med-bay, where two of the three beds were occupied. Bruce was in one, looking unharmed. Ra’s had insisted he would wake up within the hour. Alfred was in the other, having been drugged by a Shadow assassin. It’s how so many of them were able to sneak into the mansion unnoticed. Richie would have to tell Bruce that one of the Batcave’s outer entrances was compromised. They would all have to be caved in, and new ones made.

Ace, who had been lying down between the two beds, padded over and nudged Richie’s hand with his nose. Absently, the young vigilante ran his hands through the giant dog’s fur.

The effects of Alfred’s sedative were unknown, at least to Richie. All he could do was wait for Alfred to wake up, although chances were he would already be unconscious by that time. Richie took a moment to hover over his caretakers, making sure their vitals were still stable, then stood in front of the bat-computer. It was really just a giant computer with a massive number of buttons most other computers would never dream of having, and an expansive display with holographic components. But at a young age Richie would affectionately refer to any tool they used for vigilantism with the word bat in front of it. The habit persisted now as he reached his teens.

There was a system warning flashing, indicated the cameras in the Batcave were deactivated, probably the work of the Shadows. Richie would reactivate them after. He pulled up the security feed from the mansion, and isolated the footage from Bruce’s office from the moment Ra’s’ first assassin dragged Alfred through the Batcave entrance, to Richie himself leaving once their conversation was finished. He hesitated as the video played, watching Bruce slip into the study to suit up, only to be hit by a surprise attack. Richie barely missed the flash of a needle as his guardian was poisoned with something much more potent than whatever flowed through his own veins. He stopped it when Ra’s entered. Richie couldn’t watch it, knowing what he had done, what he had agreed to. And Bruce and Alfred could never know.

Richie deleted the clip. He worked for two more minutes to ensure it could never be retrieved. He rewrote the code, made a bug in the system that only _he_ could fix, since he was much better hacker than Batman, and shoved everything related to the video into the depths of cyber hell. As he typed, his arm started to tingle, then ache, then sharp lances of pain shot up and down the limb followed by a the same burning sensation he felt when it was first administered.

By the time Richie’s work was done, he was panting and sweating profusely. He had just reactivated the Batcave cameras when everything went fuzzy. He couldn’t remember why he wasn’t wearing his mask. He was in uniform, and he was in the cave, but his mask was gone. Robin had the sudden urge to find it. He stumbled away, his feverish brain unable to tell the furious shrieking of bats from the danger alert he mistook them to be.

Ace was barking at him, which meant something had to be wrong.

“B-Bruce,” Robin stuttered, and the med-bay flashed in his mind. He just needed to get to the med-bay. His steps were jerky, and he thought he would collapse. But Ace was there every time, barking and whimpering as he helped Robin stay upright. They were only a few feet from the empty bed when Ace simply wasn’t enough, and Robin tumbled forwards. His breath came out in wheezy gasps as we collapsed. Ace’s barking grew louder and more frantic, reminding Robin that there was a situation, and he was needed. He started to reach forwards when his vision flashed red and he let out a strangled moan, before everything went black.

…

When Richie woke up, he wasn’t quite sure whether he was dead or not. If he was, he wondered if Ra’s would still keep up his end of the bargain, despite Richie not being able to play his part. But after a minute or two, his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the Batcave, and the ringing in his ears stopped so he could hear the bats squeaking high above him. He also finally registered the weight on his legs and how warm he was. So he wasn’t dead, that was good.

Richie’s arm ached, and he groaned as he sat up. He was immediately forced back down by a furry mass, and the lights up above, activated by motion, snapped on and blinded him.

“Ace, d-down,” Richie commanded, chuckling weakly. The German shepherd obeyed, jumping off the bed to instead sit beside it, head cocked as he watched his owner. Richie glanced at the two beds next to his, and sighed in relief when he saw they were empty. Bruce and Alfred were awake. That was also good.

The warmth he had attributed to being Ace’s mattress hadn’t left. Figuring it was a lingering effect of the poison, Richie slid off the bed and crumpled, pressing his cheek against the cool cave floor. Not that he had enough energy to walk anywhere anyways. Ace nudged him, and Richie mumbled something reassuring, resting his hand on Ace’s neck. Ace dropped down beside him, staring at his owner. They stayed like that until the lights clicked off again and the damp chill of the cave started to seep into Richie’s bones.

He didn’t know how long it was before the lights were suddenly on again, and the curtain cutting off the med-bay from the rest of the cave was ripped back. Ace barked happily and backed up to make room for the worried man.

“Hey, Bruce,” Richie mumbled as his guardian ran forwards to help. Richie made a small noise of protest as Bruce picked him up and set him back on the bed. “’M fine. I-I feel fine.”

“Sure.”

Richie, slumped over, couldn’t see Bruce role his eyes, but knew it happened. Bruce gently grabbed Richie’s chin and shone a light in his eyes, then went through the process of checking his vitals, instructing him to move in certain ways to test muscle response, and finally ending the examination with a hand pressed against Richie’s forehead.

“You have a slight fever, but the poison doesn’t seem to have left any adverse effects,” Bruce said, stepping away. “I already got a report from the Team. What happened with Ra’s?”

“I… I can’t remember.” Richie shook his head, feigning confusion. “We went into the study, and I think you and Alfred were there, but then it gets really fuzzy.”

“The video feed was discarded, and the cameras in the Batcave were deactivated the entire time. The feed jumps ahead to you reactivating them.” There’s a hint of worry laced into Bruce’s words, and Richie can hear the unsaid words echoing in his heads. _The feed jumps ahead to you collapsing._

“At least I don’t need to tell you the Batcave is compromised,” Richie joked.

“I’ve already closed all the entrances.” Bruce nodded, then sat down on bed beside him. “Did anything happen to compromise your identity?”

“I tossed a few platters and kicked a guy, but that’s what self-defence classes are for, right?”

Bruce chuckled. “Right. Just don’t do anything reckless next time.”

Richie could hear the underlying _I’m happy you’re safe_ and smiled.

“Barbara brought your homework a couple hours ago. I told the school you were recovering from Saturday.”

“School? But isn’t it-”

“Monday night. You slept for nearly two days.”

“How’s the Team?” Richie asked. He shifted and patted the bed beside him, prompting Ace to climb up and drop his head in Richie’s lap.

“Injuries were minimal, and your absence is due to a run in with Killer Croc the night of the gala,” Batman explained. It was a good excuse. Croc had killer claws, it could easily explain away Richie’s injury if anyone on the Team saw the bandages. The entire ballroom saw him get injured, so at least he didn’t have to hide anything in civilian mode.

“Can I go to the mountain tonight?” Richie asked eagerly. Now that he was awake for a while, the stiffness and aching had faded, and he wanted to see the Team for himself. The fact that he found Wally’s presence comforting in most situations played a minor role in that decision, at least that’s what Richie told himself.

Bruce looked hesitant, obviously still concerned about Richie’s condition. But one look at Richie’s puppy dog eyes and he caved. “Not for too long, you do have school tomorrow.”

“Roger, boss!” Richie saluted and hopped off the bed. He only wobbled a little as he rushed toward the zeta tube, snatching up a pair of sunglasses along the way. The loose fitting sweatpants and Gotham Knights hoodie, which Alfred had probably changed Richie into while he was unconscious, was good enough for his short visit. Plus the bagginess of the sweater meant he didn’t have to wear any bindings.

The first person to greet him when the light of zeta tube faded was, unsurprisingly, Wally.

“Rob!”

Robin squeaked, a rather girlish noise, when Wally sped forwards and crushed him in a hug. It reminded Robin of the day of the warehouse mission, except this time he was the one being tackled.

Robin blushed as he remembered how he refused to let go of Wally that day. “H-hey, Walls. Let me breathe, would you?”

“Sure thing, bro. Shadow assassins and Killer Croc in one night, I’m surprised you’re still in one piece,” Wally joked as they walked to the lounge area.

“ _You’re_ in one piece, aren’t you?” Robin jibed, elbowing Wally in the ribs.

“Yeah, but I didn’t face off with a human-crocodile hybrid. You know what I _did_ get to do?” Wally asked.

“What?”

“Hang out with Dixie Grayson!” The speedster announced as they reached the lounge. Zatanna and Artemis were there, sitting in the armchairs and watching a newscast about Aquaman and his ‘sidekicks,’ who were currently fighting some of Black Manta’s soldiers along the east coast.

“Yep, she was flirting with me.” Wally dropped down on the middle of the couch and propped his feet onto the coffee table. “It was practically a date.”

Robin smiled softly, then hesitated as he looked at the available seats. He still wanted to maintain his flirtatious façade with Zatanna, and ended up sitting on the armchair with her.

“That’s not a date, Kid Idiot.” Artemis scoffed and rolled her eyes, turning down the volume on the TV. “You were on guard duty, you had to stick with her.”

“Yeah, but Dixie _knew_ that, and she still wanted to hang out with me.” Wally smirked.

“Wait, she knows who you are?”

“Well, yeah. She knew heroes would be there, and figured I was one of them. Although it wasn’t until we had to run that she figured out who I am. But she doesn’t know my last name!” Wally quickly tried to defend himself. Artemis burst out laughing anyways.

“Batman is going to kill you when he finds out some civilian knows your identity. How many redheaded Wally’s that match your height and build do you think there are in Central City and Keystone? Dixie’s smart, she would have you figured out in a flash. Pun intended.” Artemis grinned and shook her head.

“Dixie wouldn’t tell anyone anyways. She’s cool, I like her.”

“You, and every other straight guy in Gotham.”

Robin had ducked his head so he was beaming at his knees, feeling a heat rise in his cheeks. Wally liked him. Well, Wally liked Dixie, so Wally liked half of him. Robin’s smile faltered and his fingers curled into the fabric of his sweatpants. The expression dropped all together at Wally’s next words.

“Just admit it, Arty. You’re jealous. You would love to go on a date with the Wall-man.” Wally grinned, leaning towards Artemis’ chair. The archer’s snarky reply was cut off as Robin shot to his feet, drawing everyone’s gaze. It looked like his shoulders were shaking.

“Rob, bro, is something wrong?” Wally asked, immediately worried for his best friend.

“No, KF, I’m fine. Just a little tired.” Robin’s voice had a slight shake to it, and he wouldn’t look at either the speedster, or the archer. He dragged a hand through his hair and glanced over his shoulder. “I’m just… I’m gonna go lie down. Shadow assassins and human-crocodile hybrids, right?”

Robin’s flashed a weak smile and spun around, marching out of the room. Wally’s gaze followed him the whole time.

“What’s his problem?” Artemis asked, a little more harshly than she meant to. Wally was about to run after Robin, but Zatanna beat him to it.

“I’ll go see what’s wrong,” she said, and rushed out after the acrobat. Wally’s shoulders fell, just a little, as he watched her go.

…

“Richie?” Zatanna asked as she peered into Robin’s room. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, back to the door.

“Dixie,” Robin mumbled.

“What’d you say?”

“Call me Dixie, please,” Robin repeated, the quiver in his voice more apparent now that they were alone. Zatanna stepped fully into the room and shut the door. She quickly cross the carpet and sat down at the edge of Robin’s bed. She placed her hand next to Robin’s, so their fingers were just brushing.

“Do you feel like Dixie right now?”

Robin didn’t answer.

“Robin? Do you actually feel like Dixie right now?”

“I-I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have pretended. Wally likes Dixie, not Robin. He doesn’t even know about Richie, and if he did… It just, it hurts, Zee.” Robin finally turned his head, and Zatanna could see his eyes were glistening. “I’m so confused. It was fine, at first, you know? Babs helped me realize who I was, and it felt right, it still does. But why can’t I just be normal?”

Zatanna swivelled, pulling her legs onto the bed, and grabbed Robin’s hand. “You _are_ normal. You’re discovering a whole new side of yourself that you have been missing for years, it’s going to be hard. But Wally likes _you_. It doesn’t matter what name you’re using, if you’re a boy or a girl. He likes _you_. You can’t see it, but I can. You don’t even know how much he’s been watching you since the warehouse. _Richie_.”

Robin looked up at met Zatanna’s gaze.

“You are normal, you’re exactly who you’re supposed to be. You’re totally chalant, okay?”

Robin hesitated, then nodded.

“I want you to say it.”

“I’m chalant,” Robin said, giving Zatanna a shaky smile.

“Much better. How long are you gonna be at the mountain for?”

Robin glanced at the clock sitting on his desk. “Not too much longer. School tomorrow.”

“Well, you kidnapped me once. I think it’s only fair I return the favour. Come on.” Zatanna stood up and pulled Robin with her.

“Where are we going?” Robin asked.

“I’ve got someone you need to meet.” Zatanna looked Robin up and down and quirked her eyebrow. “But first, you need to get changed.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Astrovagrant for helping me keep the narrative as accurate as possible!

“You still haven’t told me where we’re going,” Richie grumbled lightly. He was wearing one of the nice dress shirts he had bought with Barbara underneath his favourite dark green jacket, accompanied with black jeans. Zatanna had eagerly torn through Richie’s supply of clothes at the mountain, ecstatic when she found he kept a few nice looking items among his normal casual wear. Richie adjusted the designer glasses sitting on his nose as they walked to the Zeta-Beam.

The duo had taken a longer way through the mountain, to avoid the lounge where everyone else was gathered. Zatanna was punching in a set of coordinates and grinning enthusiastically.

“I’m Zatanna Zatara, I only take people one place.” She grabbed Richie’s hand and pulled him through the Zeta-Beam. They emerged in a dead-end alley, illuminated brightly from its open side. Richie looked back at the Zeta to see a brick wall shimmer into existence over the area. Magician’s Zeta-Beam, hidden by magic. It made sense, if a bit showy. Although Richie, as a former circus performer, knew all about showy.

Zatanna dragged him to the mouth of the alley and threw her arms out, gesturing grandly to the brightly lit boulevard before them.

“Las Vegas!”

“Wow. You know, this would be so asterous if I were actually twenty-one. And, you know, if I hadn’t been here before.” Richie grinned cheekily and looked sideways at Zatanna.

“Bruce?” She asked, lowered her arms in good-natured disappointment.

“The circus, actually. Although Bruce does own a casino here. I think it’s called Crusaders.”

“Um, isn’t that…?”

“Like the Caped Crusaders? Yeah.” Richie nodded as they started walking down the street and flipped his sunglasses up. “I’ve told you he has an interesting sense of humour.”

“And it won’t give anything away about your identities?” Zatanna asked.

“Nope. Bruce is a well-known supporter of the Justice League. Most people think the casino name is just an homage to our local hero. It’s even vigilante themed.” The casino was one of the few places Bruce owned that Richie had never been to. He went on lots of business trips with Bruce and learned about the company, but his guardian repeatedly refused to take him there. Something about setting a bad example in the public eye. Richie figured it was really because if he snuck down to the slot machines, he would hack it or work out the algorithm to get optimal winnings, because nothing is truly random. But if he was going to do that, Richie always figured he would head to Caesar’s Palace or something. It would be a bit counterproductive to bankrupt his guardian’s casino.

“Come on, he’s in here.” Zatanna tugged Richie through the doors of a casino quicker than he could read the name. Surprisingly, only a few people looked questioningly at two young teenagers walking across the carpet. They passed a couple security guards, but as soon as they saw Zatanna, they nodded and ignored them.

“And no one is kicking us out, why?” Richie asked.

“Your name has sway in Gotham, mine has it here. Remember, my… my dad and I were performers. You know, before.” Zatanna’s quick pace slowed, and Richie squeezed her hand.

“You seem to be forgetting something,” he said.

“What?”

“My name has sway almost _everywhere_.” Richie smiled, eliciting a laugh from the magician that made him grin wider. “At least under normal circumstances it does.”

“Hurry up, Kid Wonder. Anderson won’t wait forever.” Zatanna ushered them into an elevator and pressed a button for the thirty-sixth floor.

“So who’s this mysterious Anderson?”

“A friend,” Zatanna stated vaguely.

“Right, so you’ve said.”

Zatanna just smirked. When they reached the floor, she led him to room 3605 and gave the door a single sharp knock. Richie expected this ‘Anderson’ to answer, and was surprised when he saw a girl instead. Her light hair was tied back into a messy bun, and she wore a plain t-shirt and jeans.

“Zatanna! I was wondering when you would visit. Come on.” The girl smiled and waved them into the spacious hotel room. There were two queen sized beds, and unnecessarily large bathroom, and an open set of doors leading to a living room area where they sat down. Besides them, there was no one else in the room.

“I thought we were meeting Anderson?” Richie asked, looking quizzically at Zatanna.

“We are,” the magician answered, nodding to the girl.

Richie frowned. “But she’s…”

It was the sad, but understanding smile on the girl’s face that made Richie understand. This girl was Anderson, and she wasn’t a girl. _He_ was a _boy_.

“I’m sorry,” Riche blurted, his face flushing as he realized his blunder.

“I’m guessing Zatanna didn’t give you any hints besides my name, and you apologized. So I’ll forgive you.” Anderson smiled again and leaned back in his chair.

“So you’re, um…” Richie trailed off as he tried to think of the correct term. It had never really occurred to him before to actually look things up related to being bigender, and other non-heteronormative people.

“Trans, in the middle of my transition right now, so a few people still mistake me for a girl,” Anderson readily supplied, gesturing to his flat chest, then his feminine face. “And you are? Your name, I mean.”

“Richie,” Zatanna answered before Richie could, habitually, provide Dixie.

“Richie, nice to meet you.” Anderson smiled again, and Richie started to think it was all this person did. Whether it was sad, apologetic, or truly happy. “My mother is an entertainer here. I met Zatanna when our parents were doing a show at the same hotel.”

“We’re in a club of sorts together,” Richie said, to explain his own relationship with his teammate.

“School?”

“Parents. Richie is,” Zatanna glanced in his direction, asking for permission, and Riche nodded, “bigender. It was a recent discovery, and I thought it’d be good for him to talk to you.”

“Okay. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions before you ask me yours?” Anderson asked, leaning forwards a little. Richie glanced at Zatanna, who was gesturing to the door, asking if he preferred for her to leave. Richie briefly shook his head, scooting a little closer to her on the couch, before answering Anderson.

“Sure, go ahead.” Richie wasn’t actually sure if he had any questions. Yes, he was confused. He had confessed as much to Zatanna. But he had never take a moment to try and get those thoughts in order, figure out exactly what he was confused about, what was bothering him. Maybe this would help.

“I’m assuming Richie is one of your alt names?”

“Yeah, it is.” Richie nodded.

“It suits you. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your other name, if you use one?”

“Dixie, when I’m a girl.”

“That really suits you too. It took me forever to find my name, a few months actually. I couldn’t imagine having to find two. It’s good you already have, less dysphoria,” Anderson said.

“Dixie’s always been my, uh, female name. And what do you mean by dysphoria?” Richie asked. He hadn’t expected to feel so comfortable talking about all of this, especially with a complete stranger. But Anderson understood, to some length, what Richie was going through. It felt reassuring, to know he wasn’t alone.

“Really? I’m a little surprised. It’s just that, usually, trans people don’t like being referred to by their original name. It makes them uncomfortable, anxious, and dysphoric. It can affect certain people differently. Personally, I hated those months when everyone called me Claire, but I wasn’t Claire. But it’s good that you’re comfortable,” Anderson reassured him.

Richie nodded, settling more comfortably into his seat. The only times he felt uncomfortable being called Dixie, is when _he_ was called Dixie. When he was a girl, it was fine, because being Dixie had never been a problem. It took him a minute, but he vaguely remembered another name, from when he was younger. “My nickname, it used to be different. When I was little, everyone called my Ricki, after my uncle. But one day someone said Dixie instead, and I liked it so much better, I asked everyone to call me that instead.”

“That could be part of it, since you chose that name, but I honestly can’t say. Although I’m a little curious. Ricki and Richie are pretty close, and it’s still fine? If I’m being intrusive, just tell me,” Anderson said.

“No, it’s fine. And Richie is fine, it’s asterous. Richie is who I would have been, if I had actually been born a boy,” he explained.

“Assigned,” Anderson corrected.

“I’m, what?”

“Richie is who you would have been, if you were assigned a boy at birth,” Anderson expanded.

“But I’m, physically, female, so doesn’t that mean I was born female?” Richie questioned, gesturing vaguely as he blushed.

“No, and I’m going to tell you now that it can actually be damaging to think that way. Genitals does not equate gender. You are born the way you are, and sometimes some of us are mistakenly assigned the wrong gender at birth. It happened to you, and it happened to me. Little miss magic here was the lucky one,” Anderson teased, nudging Zatanna’s knee with his outstretched foot.

“Because it just wouldn’t be fair if everyone had to struggle, someone has to get the easy life,” Zatanna shot back. Anderson laughed heartedly, and Richie figured they had similar joking conversations like this in the past. His own lips curled slightly. He didn’t think he was quite ready yet to joke about that, but it was good to see that some people could. Maybe one day, he would too.

“Anyways, I get the feeling there’s a bigger reason you’re here today, right? Because Zatanna already knows most of this herself, after helping me. She could have told you all of this. So what is it?” Anderson asked, returning to the topic at hand.

Richie didn’t have to look at Zatanna to know what that reason was. “There’s a guy.”

Anderson cracked another smile. “Their usually is. Or a girl. Or someone, we can’t forget about all of our other non-binary comrades.”

“He has another friend who knows he’s bigender, but I think I’m the only one that knows he loves this guy.” Zatanna looked at Richie, and he gave a subtle nod. “Richie isn’t ready to tell the people around him about who he is yet, and he’s not listening to me. I, _he_ , needs someone else to help.”

“And the problem is?” Anderson pressed.

“That I’m… me, and he’s just a guy, and he won’t… he doesn’t…” Richie reached for the right words, but just couldn’t find them. Zatanna quickly picked up the thought and finished explaining it for Anderson to hear.

“Oh, I get it. Richie, can you look at me?”

Richie slowly dragged his eyes away from his knees, blue meeting grey.

“I already told you, you biology does not determine your gender. It also doesn’t determine who you, or anyone else will love. Sexual and romantic attraction can be two different things. You love him?”

Richie nodded.

“He can love you too, at will have nothing to do with biology, it will because he loves _you_.”

It was the same thing Zatanna had said to him, but the magician had been right. Richie had needed to hear it from someone else. Someone who wasn’t a friend or an acquaintance, someone that he would know for sure wasn’t just trying to reassure him.

“But Wally, he just sees me, the me he really knows, as a friend. As his _bro._ ” Richie nearly spat the word like it was a great insult. To him, it nearly was. To his surprise, Anderson laughed.

“Trust me, a lot of guys will call any other guy ‘bro,’ regardless of what could develop between them. I’m sure he’s not as oblivious as he seems.”

Could it really be that easy? They hadn’t been in Vegas long, but Richie already felt a little better. Wally did already like Robin, who he realized was the only time it didn’t matter if he was Richie or Dixie. Robin was just Robin, it didn’t matter what name he was currently using under the mask, he could be who he was, boy or girl. And Wally already liked Robin.

But still, there was something that was bothering him.

“Artemis,” Richie whispered, thinking of the scene earlier that evening that caused him to storm out of the lounge in the first place.

“And the Greek goddess of the hunt is related to this how?” Anderson asked

“Another mutual friend of ours, her name is Artemis,” Zatanna explained. “She and Wally say they hate each other, but sometimes they flirt. Or Wally flirts with her. But like I keep telling Richie here, Wally flirts with practically every girl he meets.”

“You know what I think?” Anderson mused and rose from his seat. He started pacing in front of the coffee table. “I think you have an advantage. First off, you’re his best friend, that’s already like halfway to boyfriend. _And_ , like I said, he likes you because you’re you. So he doesn’t flirt with you. The only reason he flirts with her is because she’s his biological opposite. If he hasn’t really made a move yet, and if he hasn’t told you, his _best friend_ , that he likes her, then there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. If he likes you, the flirting will stop.”

“I guess this means we have to stop flirting,” Richie said, making a poor attempt at a joke. Zatanna, for her part, did smile.

“You two flirt?” Anderson quirked an eyebrow at the duo, stopping in his pacing.

“To reinforce that I’m a guy.”

“Even when you’re not a guy?”

“That’s why it needs reinforcing,” Richie explained.

“No, nope, you can’t do that. You definitely have to stop.” Anderson shook his head sharply and sat down on the couch beside Richie. Since he was older than them by a few years, he was also considerably taller, and could easily throw one arm across both their shoulders if he leaned in slightly. Richie normally had a thing about being in close contact with people he doesn’t know, from his years as a vigilante. But he could tell this was just the way Anderson was. Besides, it was comforting, and sort of felt like Wally was the one sitting beside him.

“That can be just as damaging as believing you were born wrong. You’re trying to force yourself into a role that you don’t fill, and it could make things more difficult when you start realizing you’re ready to reveal yourself. Unless you like Zatanna too?” Anderson spoke suggestively.

“I mean, I did, at first. And I’m pretty sure she did too, but I don’t love her, not like that. We kissed and all, and it was traught, and I enjoyed it, but… no.” Richie hesitantly looked at Zatanna, hoping his brief rant hadn’t offended her. Instead she was smiling, then she was laughing. Anderson started laughing too, and soon Richie joined them.

And it felt good to really laugh again.

…

They didn’t stay with Anderson much longer. It was getting late, and Richie was actually supposed to return to the manor well over half an hour ago. The unease and confusion he’d felt earlier, when he broke down in front of Zatanna, was gone. Instead he felt reassured. Wally really could love him, it was possible. Richie rejected the idea before, because he thought he would be rejected. But Barbara had helped him realize who he was, and Zatanna had accepted it, even suspected it apparently, without even blinking. Anderson treated it like it wasn’t a big deal. He’s trans and Richie is bigender. It’s just the way they are.

Richie emerged from the Zeta-Beam in a good mood, and didn’t even notice how his fever had gone up since first leaving the Batcave. He figured the warmth in his cheeks was from the constant blushing, a result of rather suggestive jokes Zatanna and Anderson had been making before they left. He only faltered when he took two steps into the face, and was faced with a concerned looking guardian. At the sight of Wally beside him, Richie’s hands flew up to his face to make sure his sunglasses were there. Thankfully, they were.

“Robin,” Batman growled. To Zatanna and Wally he probably sounded angry, furious even. But Richie knew that when Bruce was in vigilante mode, that’s just what his worry translated into.

“Yeah, Bats?” Richie answered cheerfully. Partially to show he was fine, and also because he was in too good a mood for a chewing out from his mentor to bring him down. The fact that the sight of Wally didn’t make his stomach twist, or make Richie feel like there was something inherently wrong with him, bolstered his happiness. He only felt a nervous and excited flutter at Wally being near, the way it should be.

“You have school tomorrow,” Batman said, walking towards the Zeta-Beam controller and punching in the coordinates for the Batcave.

“I do. And so does Wally, and Zatanna, and Artemis if she’s still here.” Richie still felt a twinge of jealously at Artemis’ name, and started repeating Anderson’s words like a mantra. _I have an advantage. I have an advantage. I have an advantage._ It was a bit of a competitive state of mind, but Richie considered himself to be a competitive person.

“They’re not recovering from an injury.”

“Maybe not, but this is hardly the worst state I’ve been in. Remember Two Face?” Richie asked. It was a bit of a low blow, and he himself didn’t much like to relive that horrible beating, but it won him a lot of arguments. The entire situation had been his fault. Richie was the one who tried to beat Two Face at his own game, but that wouldn’t stop Batman from feeling guilty about it.

“Actually, you look a little flushed, Kid Wonder,” Zatanna commented. She turned to him and pressed her hand against his forehead. “You feel a little warm, too.”

“Let me see.” In a blur orange and blue, Wally was by Richie’s side leaning down to look at him eye to eye. “I think you’re getting redder.”

Zatanna snickered as she backed away to make room for Wally, and Richie shot her a glare.

“Rob, are you sure you’re okay?” Wally asked worriedly.

“I-I said I’m fine!” Richie insisted, taking a step back toward the Zeta-Beam. “But I think you’re right, Bats. It’s probably way past my curfew. I should, uh, go sleep.”

He spun around and marched through the inter-spatial transport. Richie didn’t stop walking until he was in his bed room and flopping on top of his bed. He shoved his glasses up to his forehead and pressed his face into his pillow, hiding his wide smile.

“He was worried about me.” Richie’s voice was muffled as he spoke into his pillow, but the happiness was evident. Robin had a habit of disappearing without saying anything to his teammates. Wally was used to it, having known him for a long time. Eventually he stopped worrying, at least when they weren’t in mission situations. But today, Wally knew Robin had been with Zatanna, but he had been there waiting for their return.

Richie rolled onto his back, splayed across his bed, and turned his smile to the ceiling. “I have an advantage."


	17. Chapter 17

As it turned out, Richie wasn’t as recovered as he thought, and his little jaunt into Las Vegas did exacerbate his fever. He was up half the night, struggling between hot and cold, and overall feeling miserable. He didn’t really notice when it happened, but about halfway through the night, Richie stopped thinking of himself as he, and started using she instead. So it was Dixie who rolled out of bed in the morning, sticky from sweat and overall miserable after a night of no sleep. She had a quick shower to rid her body of the sweat, then continued with her regular morning routine.

Dressed in blue and black workout clothes, Dixie slipped into her gym in the manor’s basement. There used to be just one, but as Bruce gifted her with more acrobatic and gymnastic equipment, he decided two separate rooms would be better. With her arm still healing, and hurting, she was forced to cut down on her normal routine. She mostly focused on balance, but also worked on doing two-handed maneuvers with only one. She had practice doing this in the past, both in the field, and her gym, so it wasn’t as challenging as it sounded. Not to mention the fact that she had already been doing it for years.

It was six am when Dixie finally stepped away from her equipment, once again soaked in sweat, and still slightly feverish. But moving around had helped, and the ache she felt now was the good kind. She felt infinitely better during her second shower, which was extra long, and slowly pulled on her school uniform. The buttons and tie weren’t as hard as it could have been, since her day and a half of sleep let her arm heal some without further injury, but she couldn’t lift her arm too high without feeling a stab of pain.

“How are you feeling?” Bruce asked when he joined her for breakfast. It was a rare occurrence for Dixie to be there first, and Bruce always became concerned when it did, since it meant she hadn’t slept the night before.

“Better,” Dixie answered honestly. She was tired, yes, but her fever had gone down. Bruce, not quite believing her, leaned over and pressed his hand against Dixie’s forehead.

“You’re up for going to school today?”

“No, I’m asleep,” Dixie answered cheekily, and dropped her head against the table while snoring loudly. The headache from her forehead thudding against the solid wood was worth Bruce’s amused chuckle. Her guardian’s chair scraped loudly as he pushed away from the table. Dixie kept up her ruse the whole time, until a familiar clinking made her stop snoring.

“If you’re asleep, I guess that means I get all these cookies to myself.”

“That is so not asterous!” Dixie shouted as she quickly rose to her feet. Bruce was standing in the kitchen doorway, holding a pale yellow jar in one hand, and four cookies in the other. Dixie vaulted over the table and dove for the cookies, but Bruce used his height advantage and simply raised his hand higher.

“Not fair,” Dixie pouted. She backed up, feigning surrender. Just as Bruce was about to take a bite out of one of the cookies, she jumped forwards again. But this time skipped around Bruce, braced one foot against the door frame, and propelled herself higher. The grabbed the top of the frame with her good arm, and snagged three of the cookies with her other, before swinging into the kitchen.

“Master Bruce!” Dixie heard Alfred’s scolding shout as she darted into the hallway and up the stairs, devouring the cookies as she went. She was done by the time she reached her bedroom. It was still a little early, but she gathered together all her stuff for school, quickly scribbling through a few of the worksheets Barbara brought over yesterday. She planted herself firmly beside the front door when she was finished.

With any luck, Alfred wouldn’t mind driving her to school a little sooner than planned. It was Tuesday, and the gymnastics club always met on Tuesday mornings. On a normal day Dixie would already be there, but with her arm injured she was out of commission for the next couple of weeks. She wasn’t even waiting a minutes before Alfred was there, opening the front door to reveal the car he had already brought around.

Dixie climbed into the front passenger seat, something she always did when it was just her and Alfred, and the place they were going didn’t warrant the kind of formality that came with her sitting in the back. She pushed her backpack down her feet and leaned back.

“Mistress Grayson, you have chocolate on your cheek.” Dixie shot up and glanced at her reflection in the rear-view mirror. Sure enough, there was a small dot of chocolate on her face. She blushed at being caught and quickly wiped it away, giving Alfred an apologetic look.

“I can’t say I know where that chocolate came from,” Alfred continued casually, “but I caught Master Bruce with his hand in the cookie jar this morning. He won’t be getting any of the next batch.”

“You’re the best, Alfie.” Dixie grinned, picturing a sheepish looking Bruce facing Alfred’s wrath.

“My dear, that is my job,” Alfred replied. “It’s nice to see you smiling again.”

“When don’t I smile?” Dixie asked. She had been working hard, since discovering she was bigender, to mask her inner turmoil. Leave it to Alfred to see through it.

“Let me correct myself. It is nice to see you _happy_.”

“I was happy,” Dixie said, trying to recover from the sudden comment. She could feel that Alfred had an ulterior motive with this conversation.

“You are now,” the butler corrected her statement. As he pulled up beside Gotham Academy, Alfred looked at his surrogate granddaughter. Dixie stared right on back, and for nearly two minutes neither of them budged. Until she was distracted by a light chattering and noticed a few reporters hovering beside the school gates. They must have heard Dixie was returning to school that day, and were probably hoping for an exclusive on the events of the gala. The moment Dixie’s gaze returned to Alfred’s she knew she had lost their little context.

“I am now,” Dixie agreed.

“Whenever you are ready, Master Bruce and I are there to hear anything you have to tell us,” Alfred assured her, and for a moment she wondered if he already knew she was bigender. But even Alfred couldn’t be that perceptive. “I have noticed you stopped wearing masks around the manor, which I can’t say I’m not thankful for. Is there any particular reason?”

Okay, maybe he could be _that_ perceptive.

“I, there is,” Dixie relented.

Alfred gave her a look. It wasn’t an expectant one, but it conveyed everything he had already said. When Dixie was ready, he would be there. She looked away, busying herself with collecting her backpack.

“Maybe later,” she mumbled, unable to divulge her secret now, in a car in front of hungry reporters.

“Of course, Mistress Dixie.”

Dixie had her hand on the door, ready to open it, when she hesitated. “Alfred?”

“Yes?”

“Could you, um… could you call me Master Dixie instead?” She asked.

“Of course, Master Dixie.” Alfred nodded, immediately accepting the request.

“Thanks.” Dixie bobbed her head, then slid out of the car, waving as she walked towards the academy gates. The waiting reporters immediately crowded her, but she pushed past them, ignoring all their questions. Because of a lawsuit a few years ago, reporters were no longer allowed on Gotham Academy grounds without the principal’s express permission, and the moment Dixie passed through the gates, they were forced to stop. Unable to resist, she turned and waved cheerfully at them before disappearing inside the school.

Once out of sight, Dixie sighed heavily and leaned against the lockers. It had been a spur of the moment decision, asking Alfred to say master instead of mistress. Besides the fact that the latter term was a bit dated, Dixie also never liked it much. Despite how it used to be, master was actually a more neutral term now, and something she was far more comfortable with. It would fit no matter what. She smiled, thinking of how much better it sounded when Alfred said master instead of mistress. If she had her way, he would never use either term, and she would simply by Dixie—or Richie, depending on the situation. But Alfred had the same level of stubbornness as the rest of the bat-family, and refused to use either Dixie or Bruce’s names without a proper title. She had tried when she first joined the household, and this resulted in Alfred calling her “Mistress Just Dixie” for nearly two weeks.

Dixie headed straight to the gym, and outside the door she could already hear the sound of feet thudding against the padded mats. She wasn’t noticed right away on her entrance and quietly took a seat on the bleachers. Most of the equipment was occupied, and the few members of the team that weren’t going over their routine were waiting for their turn. Dixie briefly looked over who was currently practicing—Jake on the parallel bars, Bette on the rings—before focusing all of her attention on Barbara. Dixie’s best friend was just finishing up a routine on the balance beam, the assistant coach watching intensely. Barbara performed one last handspring and flipped from the beam, landing firmly with her arms up.

Unable to resist, Dixie clapped.

“Grayson, your here!” Barbara shouted the moment she saw her. At Barbara’s call, a few of their teammates finally noticed their youngest member and called out their own greetings and well wishes. Dixie was surprised they knew about her injury. The Gotham news crews must have had a field day when they heard the threat against her and Bruce had actually been followed through. Barbara quickly spoke with the assistant coach, then jobbed over to join Dixie.

“How’s practice going?” Dixie asked.

“Really good. Jake finally got that twist down, and just in time.”

“For what?”

Barbara blinked at Dixie in surprise. “The competition.”

Dixie just stared blankly at her.

“Against Keystone.”

She shook her head.

“Today. Ri- wait, is it Richie?” Barbara asked, looking Dixie up and down for any telltale sign as to her gender.

“Dixie,” she answered.

“Okay. Dixie, did you get a concussion too? I can’t believe you forgot about the competition.” Barbara shook her head as she teased.

“I did not, for your information. I was poisoned, those are two very different things. But yeah, I completely forgot.” Dixie kick her feet, staring forlornly at the uneven bars. She had been preparing for the competition for weeks, they all had. For most sports, Gotham Academy’s rival was Gotham North, Artemis’ old school. But there were several sports the academy had, being a private school, which North as a public one didn’t. There were, of course, other closer schools in New Jersey that did, but outside Gotham their rival was Keystone High. Neither school really acknowledge it, but part of this competitiveness came from the fact that both home cities were protected by heroes. Although Keystone did have a great sports program.

“Are you okay?” Barbara asked.

“I’m fine now.”

“Okay. I was really surprised you came. You know, considering the whole team is already signed out of classes for the day. Didn’t you tell Bruce about the competition?” Barbara leaned forwards, tugging at the sleeves of her leotard.

“I think my original plan was to tell him yesterday. He’s got some big meeting today, wouldn’t be able to go anyways. But I thought being unconscious was a much better use of my time.” Dixie grinned, and Barbara rolled her eyes.

“Right, so much better. Since you’ve got nothing better to do, are you gonna come?”

“I’d compete if I could, but I don’t think coach would let me.” Dixie looked in the coach’s direction. She was busy giving Jake some last minute advice on the other side of the gym.

“Pff, just get on the beam and start your one-handed routine.” Barbara nudged her and nodded to the empty equipment.

“The only problem with that, is that it’s _Robin’s_ one-handed routine. Sure, Dixie can do some one-handed moves amateurs like yourself can’t, but she’s not supposed to be able to do an entire routine. A good routine,” Dixie reminded her. It was one of the few things that annoyed Dixie about having to maintain a secret identity, downplaying her acrobatic skills. Barbara was aiming for the Olympics, and Dixie could too, if she wanted. But that would put her identity at risk. Even though the general public still assuming Robin was a boy all the time, that doesn’t mean someone wouldn’t notice Dixie using a few of the vigilante’s moves.

“Fine, but you are actually coming, right?” Across the room, the coach spotted the two girls and waved to Barbara.

“Of course, I just have to tell Bruce. I think coach wants to talk to you, you better go.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going. Don’t get your cape in a twist.” Barbara stood and stretched, then paused a moment. “By the way, you look really happy today. Did something happen?”

“Yeah, something. I’ll tell you about it later,” Dixie promised.

“You better,” Barbara said in a threatening tone, then jogged away. Dixie shook her head as she pulled out her phone. Was she really that obvious? Maybe it was just Alfred and Barbara who could see through her. Hopefully it was just them.

 **Grayson:** Hey Bruce. I forgot to mention there’s a gym comp today

 **Grayson:** I won’t compete, but I’m gonna go to Keystone

 **Bruce:** Don’t overexert yourself

 **Grayson:** No promises

 **Bruce:** …

 **Grayson:** … okay, I won’t

 **Bruce:** Have fun

Dixie shut off her phone and slipped it back into her pocket. She stayed by the bleachers while her teammates went to change and shower. One by one they joined her as they waited for the bus to arrive.

“So you were almost killed by the assassins?” Jake asked when he sat down one bench behind her.

“Not even close.” Dixie shook her head.

“But I heard you got hit?”

“I did,” Dixie confirmed and bobbed her shoulder.

“Sucks.”

“Could have been worse.” She shrugged.

“She took a hit for Kid Flash,” Bette said, interrupting the conversation. The other students standing nearby immediately focused on the conversation.

“He didn’t see the guy,” Dixie said, shrugging again. She wasn’t totally comfortable with the direction the conversation was going. She was a careful and paranoid person when it came to secret identities. That same paranoia had her worried she would accidentally let something slip. Bette had a habit of getting her to do that.

Bette’s father and Bruce were actually cousins, so the girls had an interesting relationship. There was the usual resentment towards Dixie, for being the heir of Bruce Wayne despite having no blood relation to him. But they also spent a decent amount of time together at the galas their parents through. Dixie, being adopted into the high society life, didn’t share the same care for it that Bette did. Their opinions on rich snobs varied, mostly because Bette could sometimes be one of them. Dixie tried not to blame her, because overall Bette could be a good person, but she was raised to be consider herself superior, and sometimes it showed. It was these moments that usually resulted in the two girls fighting. Verbally, of course, because Bette was too classy to throw a punch. But she knew just the right things to say to get a rise out of Dixie, and Dixie could be surprisingly unaware of what things are supposed to stay secret to certain people. She had, after all, almost revealed who Artemis’ family was to Kaldur when she herself still wasn’t supposed to know.

This happened a lot with Bette around. But on the occasions when the two girls got along, they were fairly good friends.

“He’s got super speed, doesn’t he? How could he not be able to dodge it?” Bette rolled her eyes.

“Dodging and seeing are two different things,” Dixie pointed out.

“So what? I would have-”

“What? You were there, you saw everything. What exactly is it that you did?” Dixie asked innocently. Barbara was just joining the group and looked back and forth between the two girls.

Bette frowned. “I let the heroes do their job.”

“Right, and in case you already forgot, protecting me was the job.” Dixie stood up and glared at Bette. Despite being almost a whole head shorter than the blonde, Dixie had an air about her, courtesy of her vigilantism, that made her seem that much taller.

“Then they didn’t do it well. You got grabbed, didn’t you?” Bette countered, placing a hand on her hip.

“Obviously not.” Dixie rolled her eyes and gestured to herself. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

Bette’s eyes narrowed, then a devious smile broke across her face. “Oh, I get it. You like Kid Flash.”

For a moment, Dixie considered denying it, but that hardly ever works out. “Yeah? So what? From what I hear, you’ve got a crush on Robin. What was it you said to that freshman last week? You don’t like boys younger than you? I guess this means you can accept his date now.”

A series of amused ooh’s rose from the watching crowd. It wasn’t a particularly good burn, but the boy Dixie mentioned had been pining after Bette for years, since Gotham Prep. Every time he asked her out, she used the same excuse. She didn’t like guys who were younger. If he heard that really wasn’t the case, he would never give up.

“The bus is here!” The coach called from the gym doors, their stare down. Bette huffed and turned, grabbing the strap of her bag and marching outside.

“I know she’s technically my friend, but I almost want you to do it,” Barbara said.

“Almost?” Dixie asked.

“Fine, I do. I really do. Come on, let’s get good seats.”

Gotham Academy busses were not regular school busses. They didn’t take students to or from school, since most of them had personal drivers, and they weren’t bright yellow. They were the same dark blue as the school uniform, with Gotham Academy written across the side in an elegant font. They weren’t able to hold the standard twenty kids, because the seats were large, roomy, and overall the most comfortable thing you would ever find inside a vehicle. But there was more than enough room for nine students and their two coaches.

Dixie and Barbara claimed a set of seats near the middle of the bus, tossing their bags onto the empty pair across the aisle.

“Okay, you’re happier. Spill,” Barbara demanded as soon as they were sitting, leaning over the armrest between them. Dixie proceeded to detail her meeting with Anderson the previous evening.

“So no more worry?” Barbara asked when she was done.

“A little bit of worry, but for the most part, yeah.” Dixie nodded.

“That’s great! What are you going to do now?”

“I’m not really sure. I’m not ready to confess to him yet, we’ve got too much stuff going on with the Team. Our new members, Kobra, Roy. It’s just not a good time.” Dixie sighed and slumped down. She wanted to confess to Wally, but she also didn’t. She was, understandably, nervous. But she also felt it would be better to just do it, get it over with, and get her answer once and for all rather than constantly worry.

“Oh, how is Roy?” Barbara asked.

“Not really any better. Wally and I have been pestering him to visit. He knows we want to help him, and we’re trying, but I think he needs a little time,” Dixie explained. No one on the Team had seen Roy for a couple of weeks. They heard things through Oliver, and by some miracle Dixie had managed to get through to him by communicator once, but that was it.

“I used to think it was just a bat and bird thing, but all heroes are stubborn idiots, aren’t they?” Barbara mused.

“I think it’s just the tortured, broody ones,” Dixie suggested.

“Oh, you’re not tortured and broody.” Barbara waved off the comment, then fixed Dixie with an too serious stare. Two seconds later, they burst out laughing.

...

The drive to Keystone City took two hours. As the bus drove through Central, and they passed over the bridge connecting the two cities, Dixie wondered if the Flash was fighting a criminal somewhere, and what Wally was doing. Somehow it almost slipped her mind that they were going to Wally’s school. It wasn’t until they were walking through the halls that she remembered.

“Barbara,” Dixie whispered, grabbing her best friend’s arm.

“What is it?” Barbara asked, giving Dixie a worried look. “Is your arm hurting? Symptoms of the poison still bothering you?”

“No. This is Wally’s school,” Dixie said. Barbara looked at her in disbelief, then grinned.

“This is going to be fun,” she said.

“No!” Dixie hissed sharply. “This is _not_ going to be fun.”

“Of course it is!” The redhead insisted as they entered the gym. Several of Keystone High’s students were helping set up the equipment. “He’s here, somewhere in the school. Do you know who perfect it would be if…”

Barbara’s voice trailed off as she stopped walking.

“What? If what?” Dixie pressed, feeling particularly oblivious in her state of panic. Barbara poked her cheek, then pointed in front of them. A tall, freckled redhead was carrying a couple mats towards the rings. He saw the girls and stopped, a smiling spreading across his face.

“Dixie!” Wally called enthusiastically, dumping his mats into the arms of a nearby unoccupied student and walking towards them.

“Hey, Wally,” Dixie said, giving a small wave. Barbara giggled and patted Dixie’s shoulder.

“Good luck,” she whispered and headed towards the change room, leaving a flustered acrobat to face the idiot she loved.


	18. Chapter 18

Dixie’s knee was bouncing furiously. Her fingers drummed against her leg, and she felt the constant need to look to her left to make sure Wally really was sitting there, then nervously focus her attention back on the gymnastic equipment. Wally’s greeting had been enthusiastic, and he dragged her over to the stands while she stared desperately after Barbara. The two minutes since then had been spent in silence.

“So what are you doing here?” Dixie asked, then cursed herself the moment she finished asking. It was his school, where else would he be on a school day? Thankfully Wally thought she was asking about why he was in the gym.

“I’ve got a friend who’s a bit of an acrobat. He’d probably be into this stuff, so I got out of class to see the competition,” Wally explained. “Got permission to help ‘manage the equipment’ or whatever.”

Dixie smiled, turning her head away a little so Wally wouldn’t see. He was here because he was thinking of her. Well, thinking of Robin, but as Dixie had recently established, she was Robin no matter what. So he was thinking of her.

“What about you?” Wally asked. Dixie turned back to him, and suddenly found their faces very close. When she turned away, Wally had leaned in.

“Oh, sorry,” the speedster said and leaned back again when she blushed.

“The team, that’s why I’m here,” Dixie answered quickly. “I’m on the team.”

“Cool. But, you’re not competing today?”

“I can’t.” Dixie shrugged her arm.

“Right. How are you, by the way? Is your shoulder okay?” Wally pinched the fabric of her sleeve, tugging it slightly.

“I’m okay. It’ll be healed in a couple weeks, and I can return to the parallel bars in no time.”

“Your specialty?”

“Yeah. I’m pretty good with all the equipment. You know, circus blood. But I like the parallel bars best.” Dixie was watching someone warm up on them now, flipping around the bars and swinging between them. It was the closest thing the Academy had to a trapeze. The girl warming up was wearing a red and yellow costume, and Dixie remembered something important. “You know, you sort of blew your identity. I didn’t know who you were. Technically, I still don’t know your name. But I know you go to Keystone High, and you have an acrobatic friend.”

“I trust you,” Wally said, with no hesitation.

“You don’t really know me. I could be another rich snob who wouldn’t pass up the chance to say they know your identity,” Dixie pointed out. While she was happy Wally trusted her so easily, it also had her worrying for his safety. Who’s to say he wouldn’t reveal himself to an actual normal citizen?

“I know you. Dixie Grayson, rich girl extraordinaire, former circus kid, parallel bar…er. Is that a thing? A bar-er?”

Dixie laughed. “No, it’s not.”

“Oh. Well, my friend makes up words all the time. I think I can too,” Wally said, stretching his arms and leaning back. “Besides, you’re not a rich snob. You’re cool.”

“Of course she is!” Barbara dropped down on Dixie’s other side, surprising the two vigilantes. Dixie wasn’t an easy person to sneak up on, but she was so focused on Wally she hadn’t even noticed her other best friend. Barbara threw and arm around Dixie’s shoulders and gave her a quick hug, careful of Dixie’s arm. “Dixie her is the greatest person ever. She’s popular too.”

“Babs!” Dixie protested. “That sounds so bad!”

“Hey, you know what I meant.” Barbara laughed. She leaned forwards and stuck her hand out to Wally. “Barbara Gordon, best friend.”

“Wally West,” Wally answered, with shooting Dixie a meaningful look. “Casual flirt.”

“Right, so casual,” Dixie said, rolling her eyes. She was thankful Babs was actually pretty good at the whole secret identity thing too, especially when both redheads probably recognized each other on sight.

“If I remember right, you’re the one that said you were flirting first,” Wally teased.

“Yes!” Barbara cheered, pumping her fist and hugging Dixie again. “I’m so proud of you! You, Wally. Do anything shifty, and you’re going down. I’ve got the power of the GCPD at my back.”

“Your dad has the power, and he’s not going to use it against some teen from Keystone.”

“’Some teen?’ Oh, ouch, that really hurts.” Wally clutched his chest and groaned.

“He’s perfect for you,” Barbara whispered, then ran off to join the rest of their team for a pep talk.

“I know Kid Flash’s name,” Dixie said, grinning smugly at Wally.

“Yeah, you do.” Wally smiled.

“And you have no concerns?” She asked.

“No, not really. You can keep a secret, I can tell.”

 _More than you know_. “Okay, but I’m starting to worry. Do you go around telling _all_ the girls your secret identity?”

“No, that’s just you. But, if you’re jealous…” Wally shrugged casually, purposefully trailing off.

“Oh, not at all. I’m just worried you’re going to get yourself killed, then I’ll have to pick a new favourite hero.” Dixie sighed dramatically and threw her hand across her head as she leaned back. “Being a rich little heiress is so hard sometimes.”

Instead of laughing, like Dixie expected Wally to do, he smiled at her warmly. “I’m your favourite hero? Isn’t that, like, some kind of betrayal to your home or something?”

“I’m not actually from Gotham, so that makes it okay,” Dixie answered.

“Good. I’d hate to make Robin jealous. Just don’t go picking him as your new favourite if my poor secret keeping gets me killed.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll wait at least a week.”

Now Wally laughed, hard enough that he had to lean over and clutch his stomach. They continued to joke, tease, and flirt throughout the competition, until it was Barbara’s turn to perform her routine. Dixie watched closely, mentally performing the routine herself. She had helped Barbara come up with it and new the redhead would be a shoe in for victory.

Wally, on the other hand, was focused almost entirely on the Gothamite beside him. There was something about Dixie that was innately familiar. And he really did know that he could trust her. It wasn’t something he could actually explain. It wasn’t a gut feeling, it was truth. He smiled when he noticed Dixie’s feet rising up so only her toes were touching the ground as Barbara tumbled forwards on the balance beam. Dixie would lean forwards slightly whenever Barbara did, and her fingers would twitch slightly as other Gothamite’s hands gripped the beam. There was something about the way Dixie did this that tugged at Wally’s brain, begging him to come to some dramatic realization, but nothing came to mind.

Barbara flipped off the balance beam, and Dixie clapped energetically along with the polite applause of the rest of the attending crowd, which was mostly just family and other athletes. Not two minutes after dismounting, Barbara was once again sitting on Dixie’s other side.

“I hope you were nice,” Barbara said.

“Hey, I was,” Wally protested.

“Oh, not you, I meant Dixie here.” Barbara grabbed Dixie’s hand and raised it to make a point. “I’ve decided you’re okay.”

“Thanks.” Wally rolled his eyes, and his gaze settled on Barbara and Dixie’s intertwined hands. This time he didn’t have to go digging for whatever his mind was trying to tell him, the memory was there in an instant. This redhead with another ebony haired figure, wearing a mask and a black and yellow cape. Just as Dixie had suspected, Wally knew who Babs was the moment she sat down beside the smaller girl. Considering Barbara already knew who the identities of the dynamic duo, Wally figured it would be okay for her to know his as well. Not only that, that she would play it cool and pretend this was their first time meeting. He was glad to be right.

Seeing the two girls interact, Wally wondered if Dixie knew Robin too, or at least knew him as a civilian. Barbara and Dixie seemed close, and Barbara and Robin had seemed close too. Maybe they all hung out together at lunch.

“You’ve got to help me perfect that dismount,” Wally heard Barbara say as he zoned back into the conversation. “I really wanted to use it today, but the last couple times I couldn’t land it right.”

“As soon as Bruce lets me back up the beam, I will,” Dixie reassured her friend. She slipped a hand into her blazer pocket and pulled out her phone. “Speaking of Bruce, he’s calling me. I’ll be right back. Barbara, no biting.”

“No promises,” Barbara said in a melodic tone. The moment Dixie was out of earshot, Barbara rounded on Wally, pulling her knees up to kneel on the bench, and leaned forwards in an almost threatening manner. “Say it.”

“You’re friends with Robin and Dixie.”

“Yep. Now, your question? Because I can see them on your face.”

“Do they know each other?” Wally asked.

“Yes,” Barbara said after only a moment’s hesitation.

“Does Dixie _know,_ know Robin?”

Barbara just gave him a stern look.

“Right, not you’re thing to say. If Dixie wanted me to know, she would have told me. You know, they sort of look alike,” Wally said, motioning to the side of the gym, where Dixie was standing talking on her phone. “Black hair, short. You know, besides the different genders. And the muscles. They’re like opposite versions of each other.”

“Gender isn’t about anatomy,” Barbara corrected Wally, recalling Dixie’s trip to Las Vegas.

“Oh, right. I guess with all that kind of stuff, there’s a lot of technical things, isn’t there?” Wally asked.

“Right.” Barbara nodded sharply, trying to decide if she should hit Wally or not. He didn’t sound bigoted, just ignorant. She decided to let it slide this time.

“But really,” the speedster pressed.

“I know, I do spend time with them. But don’t underestimate Dixie. She’s an aerialist, and a former circus kid. The habits she picked up there don’t go away easy, and being a gymnast like her requires muscles. She’s got some guns under those sleeves.”

“Guns?” Wally asked.

“Yeah, guns.” Barbara flexed her arms, and her skin tight suit revealed a surprising amount of muscles Wally hadn’t expected. “And I just use the balance beam.”

Wally’s eyebrows crawled up his forehead as he looked at Dixie. That would certainly explain why she had easily been able to pull him up from the floor, and drag him down the halls of Wayne Manor the night of the gala.

Dixie was talking animatedly, when her eyes widened and her shout echoed across the gym. “About time!”

Belatedly realizing how loud she was, Dixie looked around the gym and gave an apologetic smile to everyone looking her way before slipping outside.

“That’s my cue, best friend duty awaits,” Barbara said as she stood up, briefly stretching. “Be a good friend to them, okay?”

“I’ll be more than that,” Wally assured her. Barbara paused, giving Wally what appeared to be an approving look and smiling as she turned away. Wally watched her all the way out the door, reflecting on her question.

She meant both Dixie and Robin. But who did Wally mean?

…

“If you bail, I’ll activate contingency plan 72, Crooked Arrow,” Dixie threatened, glaring at her phone.

“ _I won’t bail. And I’m not sure if I really want to ask this, but what’s the Crooked Arrow contingency?_ ” Roy, on the other end of the call, asked.

“It’s just in case you, or Artemis, or Ollie go rogue.”

“ _What’s it supposed to do?_ ”

“I can’t tell you, that would ruin it if you do go rogue. It’ll have to stay unplicit.”

“ _Unplicit?_ ”

“Yeah, you know. Implicit means it wasn’t fully explained, but it was implied. Explicit means it was clearly laid out. So unplicit means it’s not laid out at all, and you have no idea what it means,” Dixie explained, rolling her eyes. She thought that one would have been obvious.

“ _Right. I’m glad to see your still messing with English._ ”

“You’re hearing it, technically. Now hurry up and finish making out with Cheshire so you’re not late tonight. I’m sure she’s the one who convinced you to come to your senses.”

“ _I, Cheshire… what? I’m not-”_

Before Roy could try and defend himself, or come up with some kind of excuse or explanation, Dixie hung up and returned her phone to her pocket. She had heard things from Artemis, seen things in Star City traffic cameras, and came to the conclusion that Roy and Jade Nyugen were, in the loosest terms, dating. Though she assumed it was more physical than anything, which really wasn’t something she wanted to think about with the archer she almost considered a brother.

“Using the Robin voice? What’s going on?” Barbara asked. She had only been standing in the hall for a few seconds, but just longs enough to catch the end of Dixie’s last statement.

“Roy’s coming to the mountain,” Dixie answered with a grin. “He say a news cast on the gala, and someone helped him realize how stupid he was being. He’s visiting tonight.

“That’s great. I guess this means you won’t be working on the Kobra case, like you planned?”

“No. If I have time, I’ll take a look at those attack patterns again. There hasn’t been another altered human sighting since the Toledo mission. I think Kobra’s laying low for now. Either that, or he already has what he needs, which means it’s time to get traught.”

“But not tonight,” Barbara said sternly. “You’ve got way to much going on to worry about this right now. Yeah, it’s serious, the country or the world is at stake, it usually is, but _you_ also need to relax. You’re happy, be happy a little longer.”

“Catching Kobra would make me happy,” Dixie argued.

“Sure, but not the same way a certain vigilante does.” Barbara smirked and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“I’m not going to dignify that with an answer.”

“Maybe he’ll be a good kisser. Or even better, he’ll be good in-”

“Okay! You’re shutting up now!” Dixie clapped her hands over Barbara’s mouth, trying to will away the heavy blush on her face. “I’m thirteen, and you are being gross.”

Barbara grabbed Dixie’s wrist and pulled her hands away. “You’re the daughter of the playboy, and an exceptionally smart girl. It’s nothing you don’t already know. Besides, you’ll be fourteen in three months”

“Oh my goodness, you’re worse than Wally. Who, by the way, there will be no… _adulting_ with.”

“Adulting?” Barbara smirked.

Dixie’s cheeks flushed again. “I am the youngest hero in the world, I’ve faced Joker, Two Face, and Scarecrow. I’ve earned the title of Dark Squire, and I say this conversation is over.”

“Of course, great squire.” Barbara bowed mockingly. “Just one more question.”

“Fine, what?” Dixie sighed, and immediately regretted it when she saw Barbara’s grin.

“Do you think _all_ his hair is that red?”

“Barbara!”


	19. Chapter 19

When Dixie and Barbara returned to the gym, Wally had been roped away by the Keystone gymnastics coach to clear away the equipment that wasn’t needed anymore. The competition went well. Gotham Academy won by a solid twenty points, and they returned to school in good spirits. Although Dixie was a little disappointed that all she could do was wave goodbye to Wally. Bette had seen her do it, and started muttering something about “fetishes” and “red hair.” Dixie was happy she didn’t hear the full sentence, or else Bruce would have grounded her for giving her ‘cousin’ a black eye. Although that didn’t stop Barbara from ‘accidentally’ tripping her as they got off the bus.

Now back at home, Dixie was humming as she changed out of her uniform and into Robin’s civilian clothes. She told Bruce that Roy would be visiting that night, and he promised not to issue them any last minutes missions unless it was absolutely necessary. Though he hadn’t said it in so many words. More of a nod, and a wish for her to have fun.

“Bye, Alfred! Bye, Bruce! I’ll see you later!” Robin yelled as she ran through the manor.

“Have fun, Master Grayson,” Alfred replied just before she disappeared into the Batcave. On her way through, she snatched up her hologlove, adjusted her bindings, and made sure her sunglasses were secure before walking through the Zeta-Beam.

**Robin B-0-1**

“Oh, good, you’re just in time,” Artemis drawled when Robin entered the lounge.

“For what?” Knowing Artemis, who could be annoyed rather anything, her sarcastic tone could be referencing any little thing.

“Kid Idiot,” Artemis explained, without really explaining anything. Rather than sitting properly on one of the empty chairs, Robin perched on the back, propping her feet on the armrests. Just as she finished getting comfortable, Connor’s confused voice came down one of the hallways.

“But you call every girl ‘babe?’”

“Yeah, but she’s _the_ babe!” Wally’s voice answered. A second later, their bodies followed. Wally beelined for the kitchen while he kept talking to Connor. “Dixie Grayson might be the greatest person I know.”

“Hey!” Robin shouted good naturedly, though flattered.

“Oh, right. Rob’s the best person I know, Dixie is a close second. Maybe equal.”

Still flattering, knowing she was as great as herself.

“I still don’t get it.” Connor shrugged.

“Wally’s saying that Dixie isn’t like other girls to him,” M’gann clarified when she floated into the room. “Like me to you. Or Zatanna to Robin.”

“Not like Zatanna to Robin!” The magician herself interrupted as she trailed in after.

“Oh. But I thought…” M’gann pointed between the girl and supposed ‘boy’

“Nope,” Robin answered, and cackled. It felt good to honestly confess something, even if it’s only a big deal to her right now.

“Wow, Rob. You give up fast,” Wally joked, emerging from the kitchen with a bag of chips in his hands.

“Well, Zatanna’s great and all, but she’s just not at my level of aster.” Robin winked at the long-haired ebony.

“Careful, Kid Wonder. If you’re not chalant, I might have to kidnap you again,” Zatanna fired back, and Robin cackled again.

“I don’t think I’d mind.”

Artemis, Connor, and M’gann looked between their two youngest members in confusion. It certainly looked like they were still flirting. Only Wally could see the difference. This was the way Robin joked with him, or used to. It felt like they hadn’t had any bro time in a while. He shrugged to himself, trying and failing to brush off that odd feeling in his stomach, and turned to leave.

“Wally, stay!” Robin shouted, like she was giving commands to Ace. Wally, much like the German shepherd, stopped and faced her.

“What’s up, bro?”

“Surprise, but you can’t leave. Actually, where’s Raquel and the Atlanteans?” she asked.

“Kaldur and the others went for a swim. No idea where Raquel is. Haven’t seen her since the Wayne fiasco,” Artemis said.

Robin grimaced. “Are we really calling it that?”

“Yep.” Artemis nodded.

“I don’t think it was a fiasco,” Wally countered, zipping over to Artemis’ side.

“Right. You think of it as the day you and your girlfriend met.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, _wait_. I never called her my girlfriend,” Wally said, his words rushed by his super speed.

“Only the greatest of all babes,” Artemis reminded him.

“I think you said she was the ‘one true chick’ at some point,” M’gann added. “What does that mean?”

Robin was sure whether to blush, or punch Wally. Considering it was Wally who said these things, they were definitely compliments. But also, ‘chick?’

Wally blinked and stammered, thoroughly caught, and rounded on Robin. “So, Rob, why can’t I leave?”

“I told you, it’s a surprise. You gotta stay whelmed, dude. But seriously, no one leaves this room until I say so,” Robin said sternly. Wally, being Wally, immediately tried. He was met with a batarang skimming past his face, and just nicking the skin of his nose.

“Okay, okay! I’m staying!” Wally trudged over to the chair Robin was perched over and dropped onto it, giving her perfect armrest.

“Good,” Robin said as she leaned over and poked Wally’s cheek. She wanted everyone to be there when Roy arrived.

…

Raquel didn’t show, but the Atlanteans soon returned from their swim. Robin refused to tell any of them about Roy’s surprise visit, and even hacked into the cave systems intercept the intercom announcement. Not that it took much hacking, considering Robin had practically designed the system herself with the modifications she’d made in the past year. When she received a warning about Roy’s arrival, she shut down the intercom for fifteen seconds, then powered it back up once she was sure the archer was in the mountain.

Robin was bouncing on the back of the chair, annoying Wally to some degree—although that wasn’t entirely on accident. She saw the moment Connor noticed Roy’s presence, his head tilting slightly so he could better hear the foreign footsteps. But, being Connor and recognizing how those footsteps belonged to, he didn’t feel any need to announce that Roy was there. Robin was the only one who saw the red archer before he announced his presence.

“Wow, I’ve never seen you guys this quiet before. Did somebody die?”

Robin made a metal note to get a copy of the lounge security tapes for the following five seconds. Wally was up in a flash, tackling Roy in a hug and releasing a torrent of questions, all spoken at super speed. In response, Roy whipped out a sharp tipped arrow and shoved it towards Wally’s face.

“Why do people I like keep pointing deadly things at me?” Wally asked, slow enough for everyone else to understand him. But it was Kaldur’s reaction that Robin wanted to immortalize. In an uncharacteristic emotional display of brotherhood, Kaldur leapt over the chair he’d been sitting in and pulled Roy into a second hug. This time the archer couldn’t threaten his way out of it, since Kaldur was to Roy that Wally was to Robin. You know, minus the whole “I love you” part. Instead Roy grimaced briefly, probably because he didn’t feel he deserved the hug, and then relented, slapping Kaldur on the back.

“Surprise!” Robin cheered, slipping onto the seat proper of her armchair now that Wally had abandoned it.

“Roy, my friend, where have you been?” Kaldur asked.

“Searching, mostly.”

“No, that’s wrong!” Robin shouted, feeling the need to correct him. Plus his long absence warranted a little teasing. “He’s been kissing, mostly.”

“Rob, I told you, we’re not-”

“La la la, I can’t hear you, yes you are!” Robin said in a singsong voice, plugging her ears.

“You haven’t matured, at all,” Roy deadpanned.

“I have, really. I only made six diabolical plans in the last month,” Robin informed him proudly.

“Right. And how many of them did you execute?”

The acrobat faltered, chuckling slightly. “Nine.”

“That’s three more than you planned,” Tula pointed out.

“What can I say? I’m a great improviser.” Robin grinned at the female Atlantean. “Wanna see what I can do with a piece of duct tape, a bobby pin, and a stray pair of Wally’s goggles?”

“No, they don’t,” Roy said quickly.

“Really, don’t ask,” Artemis added when Garth opened his mouth to do just that.

“It’ll only be fun for him,” Wally added.

Kaldur nodded. “Some things are better left unknown.”

While that did nothing to quell Garth and Tula’s curiosity, they knew to take Kaldur’s advice, and avoided Robin’s eager gaze. M’gann and Connor had not been present for this particular trick of Robin’s, and were equally as curious. But they, like the Atlanteans, wisely chose not to ask.

“Dude, it’s about time you came to visit. You’ve got a lot to make up for,” Wally said, pointing accusingly.

“I brought snacks.” Roy kicked forwards a cooler, the chip bags on top toppling to the floor.

“Yes!” Wally cheered, diving into the cooler, then looking back up at Roy. “You’re not off the hook yet. Also, what’s with the giant water bottle?”

“That’s mine!” Roy snapped, lunging forwards and snatching the bottle out of Wally’s hands. Robin’s eyebrow quirked, noting the water bottle’s size, and how opaque it was. Roy wasn’t normally the kind for lugging around water bottles. Usually he would just buy a recyclable bottle and be rid of it as soon as it was empty. She gave Zatanna a mischievous look, and tilted her head towards the water bottle.

Zatanna nodded and brought a hand up to her mouth, muttering a spell. Her eyes widened, and she mouthed the contents to Robin, who immediately started forming a plan.

…

Stealing the water bottle turned out to be a lot easier than Robin thought. Considering its contents, she thought Roy would have been keeping a more careful eye on it. Either he’d had one sip too many, or he was starting to underestimate the acrobat. Either way, the whole endeavour was a little disappointing. After everything settled, and Roy was introduced to Garth and Tula, a movie was put on. No one was really paying attention. Instead they were talking, catching up, theorizing about what was taking up Raquel’s time.

Halfway through the movie, Robin suggested they play a game. Naturally, she chose hide and seek, and even volunteered to be the seeker. Tula was eager, and Garth and Kaldur quickly agreed. Artemis rolled her eyes, said how childish it was, and darted off to find her hiding place. Wally didn’t say anything, just sped out of the room. M’gann took Connor’s hand and dragged him out of the lounge. Zatanna was the last to leave.

Robin counted to thirty, broadcasting her voice over the intercom.

“Ready or not, here I come!” She sang, and beelined for Roy’s abandoned seat. His water bottle was sitting right beside it. Robin grabbed it, and headed to her room where Zatanna had already claimed her bed. Robin twisted off the cap and took a swig, immediately grimacing.

“Ugh. What is Roy drinking? This is the cheap stuff.” Robin passed the bottle to Zatanna, who hesitated before taking a sip herself.

“Of course you’d know that.”

“Hey, Bruce lets me have sips of champagne at some of the galas. I don’t regularly make a habit of sneaking into liquor filled water bottles,” Robin shot back.

“Just today?”

“Just today. Roy deserves the panic of figuring out what to tell B.” Robin grinned.

“How long do you think it’ll take for them to notice?” Zatanna asked, passing the bottle back.

“Until Roy gets thirsty.” There was a beat of silence, then they both burst out laughing.

The two girls remained holed up in Robin’s room, taking sips from Roy’s water bottle, for a good twenty minutes before someone knocked.

“Uh-oh.” Robin snickered and slammed the cap back onto the water bottle.

“Nepo eht rood,” Zatanna chanted, and the door slid open to reveal Wally.

“Dude, aren’t you playing?” The speedster asked, then paused when he saw the water bottle, and the lazy smiles on Robin and Zatanna’s face. “Oh, no.”

He sped over to the bed, grabbed the water bottle, and sniffed. “Um, okay, you two, go to the living room.”

Robin and Zatanna looked at each other, gave small nods, and leapt at the speedster. Zatanna wrapped her arms around Wally’s feet, and Robin went for his shoulders. Together they easily knocked the redhead over.

“Timber,” Robin said seriously. He picked up the water bottle and darted out of the room.

“Tropelet su ot het reliob moor!” Zatanna grabbed Robin’s wrist as she was taking a drink. A golden light surrounded them both, and Robin stumbled as the ground briefly disappeared from beneath her feet.

“Oops,” she mumbled. The water bottle tipped, spilling some of its contents on the floor of the boiler room they had just appeared in. “You could have warned me.”

“Sorry. We’re running from a guy with super speed, teleporting was the best option.” Zatanna shrugged.

“Couldn’t you have taken us to a room that isn’t occupied?” Robin hissed. She swung her arm out to point at Roy and Artemis, who were surprisingly hiding together.

“I guess you found us?” Artemis asked, a little confused about the situation. Roy kept looking between Robin and the bottle in her hands. Robin nudged Zatanna, pointed to the red archer, and they both laughed softly. Roy groaned, dropping his head into his hands.

“Robin,” he mumbled into his palms, “give me the bottle.”

“I don’t want to,” Robin deadpanned.

“Robin. If I have to tell Batman you’re drunk, he’s going to kill me,” Roy continued.

“What?” Artemis gasped, looking at the water bottle and realizing what’s inside it. She laughed. “Oh, you are so dead.”

A gust of wind signalled Wally’s arrival. “There you are!”

His statement went ignored by everyone as Robin replied to Roy. “He won’t kill you. We’re not drunk, just bubbly.”

“Bubbly,” Zatanna repeated.

“He will _lightly_ maim you.”

“Lightly.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Roy groaned. “Wally, grab the drunk, sorry, _Bubbly_ Wonder. I’ll get the magic girl.”

Wally nodded and zoomed to Robin’s side, wrapping his arms around her and pinning her. Robin stilled, worried Wally would feel something and know she had lied. Not about her gender, technically. Not anymore. Just about her genetics? Anatomy? Maybe she should get Zatanna to ask Anderson about the right term.

Robin shrugged, deciding that it doesn’t matter. Anatomy had very little to do with it, so what if someone knew?

In a second, Robin was being deposited on the couch in the lounge, and the water bottle was ripped form her hands. But she didn’t react. Not until Zatanna was dropped right beside her, and she leaned over to drop her head on the magician’s shoulder.

“What is it?” Zatanna asked.

“I think I just decided to tell B,” Robin whispered.

“Yes!” Zatanna shouted, hugging Robin. “Progress! Remember to be chalant. If you need advice, I’ll ask Anderson.”

“Do you have any idea what they’re talking about?” Roy asked, leaning towards Wally.

“No idea. Here’s you ‘water’ bottle.”

“Thanks,” Roy grunted. “Can you go find the others?”

Wally nodded and sped away, while Zatanna continued to hug Robin and whisper advice. Roy didn’t notice when Robin started whispering back.

“I’m still a little disappointed,” Robin muttered.

“Same. He’s only freaking out a little. Impromptu diabolical plan?”

“Of course. It’s gonna take a bit of magic, though.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

The two girls grinned, and Robin pretended to slouch over so she could whisper the plan. They waited until Wally had gathered the others. Atlanteans, having different genetics, didn’t react the same to surface alcohol as humans do. Garth and Tula, who still lacked experience on the land, didn’t understand why Robin and Zatanna’s behaviour was a big issue. Connor started spouting facts, curtesy of Cadmus, while M’gann listened eagerly.

Throughout the conversation, Robin slowly pulled her arms out of her sleeves and inside her baggy sweatshirt. She typed blindly, but knew her the computer in her hologlove well enough to write the proper codes without seeing. She nudged Zatanna as she finished entering the commands.

**Batman 0-2**

The Team before them froze. Garth and Tula may not have fully comprehended the ramifications or Robin and Zatanna’s little trick, but they heard the rumours about Batman when it came to the safety of his little bird. Zatanna started muttering under her breath, and ominous footsteps echoed down the hallway.

“Wally, you’re his best friend, this is your problem,” Roy said.

“Sorry, dude. You’re on your own.” With that, Wally dove behind one of the chairs. Robin peeked over Zatanna’s bowed head to see the shadowy figure walking down the hall, and smirked. It drew closer, gliding like a true being of darkness. She typed another command into her computer, and the lights in the lounge went out.

“You are _so_ dead.” Artemis snickered in the darkness as the Batman-shaped shadow reached the room. Its eyes were glowing brightly. Robin raised her hologlove up to her mouth, and spoke gruffly.

“What did you do?” Her voice, a near perfect imitation of Batman’s throaty growl, echoed on the intercom. Roy blanched.

“It was all him!” Artemis said, suddenly fearful before the terrifying image. “Roy brought alcohol into the cave. Robin and Zatanna stole it!”

The shadow glided forwards and leaned over Roy, he cowered slightly.

“It’s your fault?”

Roy nodded meekly. The shadow’s hand shot forwards and the archer flinched. Just as its palm touched Roy’s shoulder, it exploded into a shower of glittering, and the lights flickered back on. Robin had never seen a man so sparkly also so terrified. She cackled, shoving her arms back into their sleeves, and rolled off the couch onto the floor. Zatanna followed, and their laughter echoed into the speaker system. Robin deactivated her holo-computer and slowly climbed to her knees, throwing her arms across the coffee table.

“You- you, you guys,” Robin gasped, trying to catch her breath.

“You were so- your faces,” Zatanna said, struggling to breathe properly as well.

“ _It’s your fault_ ,” Robin growled, imitating Batman again. “And Wally hid!”

“Hey! Your mentor is scary!” Wally defended himself as he rose from behind the chair.

“Snoihsuc, ih mih ni eht ecaf,” Zatanna spoke quickly, and the cushion of the chair flew up and whapped Wally in the face, making him stumble back. The youngest Team members dissolved into another fit of laughter

“Nrut yoR s’repraH tiftuo knip,” the magician said next. Roy’s t-shirt and jeans turned a brilliant shade of pink, so he looked like a walking Pepto Bismol bottle. Roy sighed and marched forwards to restrain her, but Robin leapt to Zatanna’s rescue and fended the archer off. Wally and Artemis met similar fates.

“Should we try to help?” Tula asked Kaldur.

“I think it’s best to step away from the situation,” Kaldur answered, moving a healthy six feet away from the defensive acrobat.

“But he’s a child,” Garth pointed out as he followed his friend and girlfriend to the outer edges of the room.

“He’s the most experience of all of us, you should never forget that,” Kaldur said, somewhat solemnly. Tula and Garth looked at each other, wondering what kind of things Robin had seen to make Kaldur speak in such a tone.

“Alright, that’s enough!” Roy snapped. “Connor, a little help here?”

“I don’t take orders,” Connor muttered, but stepped up anyways. Robin was a skilled fighter, and continued to best Superboy during training sessions. But that didn’t change the fact that Connor was stronger, and at the moment, Robin was tipsier. When the acrobat lunged, Connor only had to back up so she would stumble, then grabbed her arm. He went to Zatanna next, picked her up in his other arm, and tossed them both on other sides of the couch. He grabbed Wally next, and put the speedster between them.

“Hey, why am I in the middle?” Wally shouted.

“Because I don’t want to be,” Connor answered. Wally opened his mouth to retort, but realized he didn’t have kind of response, and slumped into the couch.

“Maybe we could continue watching the movie?” M’gann suggested. Everyone looked at the TV to see the credits rolling. “We could always put in another.”

“I agree.” Kaldur nodded.

“But what are we going to do with these two?” Wally asked.

“Wait for the alcohol to pass through their systems, and don’t let them out of our sight,” Roy said.

“I suggest some remove Robin’s hologlove,” Kaldur added. Wally nodded and reached across Robin’s lap and grabbed her left arm, pulling it over so he could wrest the glove away from her. But Robin wasn’t giving it up that easily. Her hologlove was a delicate piece of technology she spent hours creating. Plus, in less than coherent mind, it may have seemed like Wally was trying to hold her hand. Robin grabbed Wally’s wrist, trying to pry his fingers off the glove.

“Dude, let go.” Wally yanked at the glove, and only succeeded in pulling Robin across his lap. Being the acrobat she was, Robin followed through with the momentum so that she ended up on Wally’s other side, sitting between him and Zatanna. Everyone did a double take, working through what just happened in their minds, and only Wally noticed it.

“Zatanna, what’s with that look?” He asked.

The magician was grinning, her eyes narrowed, and she raised a hand to splay her fingers at Robin and Wally.

“Ekam ellehciR dna yllaW ssik!”

Robin was suddenly in Wally’s arms, and her lips were catching his in a passionate kiss, which the speedster was returning. There were three horrifying and exhilarating seconds when Robin knew what she was doing but couldn’t stop it before control returned to her. She jerked away from Wally, feeling her face heat up more than it ever had before, and rounded on Zatanna.

“Zee! What the hell was-”

“NiboR, kaeps dna dnatsrednu sdrawkcab!”

“-taht? Yhw did uoy ekam su ssik? Yhw ma I gnikaeps sdrawkcab? EeZ!”

Zatanna giggled. “Esauceb, ti saw tuoba emit uoy owt dessik. Fi I detaiw rof uoy ot od ti, ti dlouw ekat reverof. Did uoy yojne ti?”

Still blushing, Robin quickly looked back at Wally, then nodded subtly. “Sey.”

“Doog! NiboR, kaeps lamron niaga.”

“Am I the only one who’s confused?” Tula asked.

“I think we all are,” M’gann said, raising her hands slightly.

“Hey, Baywatch, how does it feel to kiss your hero?” Artemis asked teasingly.

“It was- I… For Rob’s sake, let’s just say I’m a fantastic kisser. You could see for yourself sometime?” Wally countered. He was smacked upside the head by both Artemis and Zatanna.

“Give it up, Baywatch. No one’s ever going to fall for those stupid lines,” Artemis drawled.

“Yeah, and be considerate!” Zatanna added, drawing a few confused looks.

“Of what?” Wally asked, his eyes settling on Robin, who was trying to hide her face.

“Of… Artemis. Of Artemis, of course. You think she wants to be on the receiving end of that?” Zatanna said, quickly recovering from her slip up.

“I have another movie?” M’gann voiced, holding up a DVD. Eager for something to break the awkward tension, the rest of the Team quickly agreed and claimed a seat. M’gann had chosen an old monster B-movie. Creature from the Black Lagoon. Tula enjoyed it, although Garth found it a little distasteful. Kaldur curiously noted that the creature reminded him of a promising student in Atlantis’ magic academy.

Only noticed by Zatanna, who was watching closely, Wally frequently glanced at Robin. Occasionally the acrobat’s eyes wood meet his, she would blush, and she would look away while Wally continued to stare. For Wally, who still thought Robin to be a boy one hundred percent of the time, and a straight one at that, this was odd behaviour. But he sort of liked it when the acrobat blushed.

Thirty minutes into the movie, Zatanna and Robin started to whisper again. The older Team members, namely everyone, continued to send them nervous looks, hoping they weren’t planning anything too drastic, and maybe it would be easier just to knock the two petite ebonies out. But before they could consider that option, Robin had slipped away.

She received a few odd stares when she returned, carrying a spare pair of Wally’s goggles. She disappeared into the kitchen, and came back out with a role of duct tape on her arm.

“Hey, Zee. You have a bobby pin?” Robin asked, holding out her hand while she tried to rip off a strip of tape with her teeth. The reaction was instantaneous.

“No!” Roy, Artemis, Wally, and Kaldur stood and jumped for Robin. The acrobat’s knees folded, and her back hit the cave floor as they went flying over her, Roy and Artemis comically colliding in midair. Robin rolled away to avoid being crushed, and popped back to her feet. She had her piece of tape, and was sticking one end to the strap of Wally’s goggles when the phone rang.

Robin froze. It was her Robin cell, since she couldn’t use the same phone as both a civilian and vigilante. It had a number of personalized ringtone to tell her who was calling. Wally, Batman, Barbara. Besides Barbara, only one other civilian had this phone number, and they were told it was only to be used in a serious emergency. Otherwise Robin was to be contacted through other means.

This number hadn’t been given as way of a cry for help. In fact, Robin hadn’t given this number as Robin. She’d given it out three years ago, as ten year old Richelle Grayson, and the person who had it had no idea of its significance. After all, they were just a Gotham City doctor, why would the ever expect to hold _the_ Robin’s cellphone number in their hands.

Robin dropped the goggles and tape, hopping away from Roy, who had tried to catch her again, and quickly grabbed her phone.

“Hello?” She asked.

“ _Richelle?_ ”

“Yeah.”

“ _It’s me, Dr. Ma-_ ”

“I- I know. What happened?” Robin’s voice shook, and everyone watched her, wondering what was going on. Zatanna was the only person who ever heard her voice shake like that.

“ _It’s your uncle_.”

Robin nodded slowly, her hands trembling. Then, as the doctor said two short words, Robin’s hands stilled. The phone slipped from her fingers, and she dropped to her knees, not even caring that the movement caused her sunglasses to sleep. Tears didn’t gather in her eyes, not yet, but she stared blankly at her phone as her brain tried to process.

People often called her the Last Grayson. It was her title. Besides gypsy brat, circus trash, and Wayne heiress. In this moment, there was nothing more fitting.

“ _He died._ ”


	20. Chapter 20

Wally was the first one by Robin’s side. He vaulted over the couch, shoved Roy aside, and knelt beside the acrobat.

“Robin? What’s wrong?” He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Slowly, Robin reached forwards, stretching out to grab her phone. She swiped her finger across the screen, ending the call, and cradled the device in her hands. It was robotic, the way she moved. Her thumb brushed over one of the top corners, grazing a fresh chip from when she dropped it.

“Uh, Rob, bro?” Wally glanced nervously at the rest of the Team. Raquel, Garth, and Tula hovered awkwardly at the back of the group. None of them were close enough to Robin to feel comfortable in this situation, not that it was comfortable for anyone.

“Who died?” Connor asked, in all his bluntness. The next second, Robin’s phone was flying through the air, and Connor jerked to the side so it would hit him in the face. Instead it smashed against the wall. The mobile device wouldn’t have hurt him, but the fact that Robin threw it at him was surprising. The moment the phone left her hand, she stood and ran away. Wally started to go after her, but Zatanna lurched forwards and grabbed his elbow before he could jump to super speed.

“I think sh-he’s heading home,” Zatanna said, just barely remembering to use the correct gendered pronoun the rest of the Team used for Robin.

“Oh.” Wally’s arms dropped to his side, and he looked dejected.

“Connor, maybe that was not the best thing to say,” Kaldur said, scolding the Kryptonian lightly.

Connor shrugged. “I overheard it.”

“Hey, do you think it could be…” Artemis’ voice trailed off, but everyone knew where she had been going.

“No. If it were Batman, Robin would not have been informed in that fashion.” Kaldur shook his head, and everyone felt a wave of relief at that.

Connor looked around at the Team, still curious. “So, who was it?”

…

As Robin exited the Zeta-Beam, Alfred was running towards it.

“Master Dixie, the doctor just called,” Alfred said. But before he could continue, Robin had already wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head in his chest. She wanted to cry, but she couldn’t. She could feel the tears building, but they refused to actually flow.

“Ah, He called you as well,” Alfred said somberly, and Dixie nodded. Alfred wrapped an arm around Dixie’s shoulders and guided her upstairs, removing her sunglasses. They stopped in the kitchen, and Dixie climbed onto the countertop while Alfred disappeared into the pantry. She watched him carefully as he re-emerged with the ingredients for cookies in his arms.

Normally Dixie would help Alfred, because it reminded her of baking in the Graysons’ tiny trailer beside her aunt and mother. But right now, she didn’t want to think about the Graysons, and everything she lost. She wanted to cling to this hollow feeling that had taken root inside her, and fade away from the rest of the world.

Dixie tried to, for the next few hours. She ate the cookies Alfred gave her, and drank the milk he pressed into her hands, if only so she wouldn’t disappoint him. When Bruce came home they went to the hospital. Dixie couldn’t look at the body. It just didn’t make any sense. Her uncle had been doing well. The doctor even said there was an increased possibility of him waking up. She knew not to get her hopes up, but that didn’t make the sudden loss any easier.

The funeral was two days later. Uncle Rick was buried next to his wife and son. They managed to keep the service small, once again because no one really. No media, family only. Haly and a few others from the circus were able to attend, sharing Dixie’s grief. Standing in front of the tombstone, watching her last blood relative be lowered into the ground while surrounded by the faces from her childhood, Dixie felt very small. She felt like a little girl again. The same one that would go barreling through the circus, running through animal cages with no worries that the lions might eat her, or Zitka the elephant might accidentally stomp her. When mixed calls of “Ricki!” and “Dixie!” would trail after her, because she had only just discovered the new name.

Barbara held her hand and tried to comfort her, but all Dixie could think of were her first days living in the manor. After Zucco, the circus, and juvie, when Bruce took her in, the press largely referred to her as the Last Grayson. It hadn’t been fully accurate with her Uncle Rick still alive. The press just didn’t care about him. The title always bothered her, since she knew she wasn’t truly the last one. It made her feel alone.

Now she was the _Last_ Grayson, and it was so painful. It was the one thing she never wanted to be.

…

The Team hadn’t seen or heard from Robin for a few days. They were worried, and tried to shove that worry aside by focusing on their curiosity. It wasn’t the most sensitive thing, but it was a distraction. Who died?

The day Robin received the call, Connor heard the person on the other side say “he.” They had a few theories. Maybe Robin had a sickly brother, or uncle, or maybe Batman was his uncle and his father had died instead. Nothing they thought of was very comforting, and they quickly abandoned their theories.

Kaldur instructed the Team to do some more digging into Kobra, review Robin’s notes and research, and keep an eye out for any more altered human appearances. There was only one in the time Robin was gone, and Raquel hadn’t been able to reach the city in time to intervene. But she did find a body a block away from a destroyed park, confirmed to contain traces of the Altered Serum.

Wally spent most of the time moping. The others attributed it to the speedster being bored without his best friend, but Zatanna saw more. The way Wally would hesitate when walking past the bedrooms, pausing just a little outside Robin’s door. How he would stare at the stool by the counter that Robin usually chose to sit in, lost in thought. She could only guess what the redhead was thinking, but she wasn’t far off.

Whenever Wally worried about Robin, he thought about the smaller boy, and his mind would drag him back to the kiss. It had been strange. Not bad, it was great actually. And that was the strange part. Wally kissed girls before, he had kissed Artemis on New Year’s, and he always enjoyed that. But those kisses had just been good. Kissing Robin… Wally hadn’t really wanted to stop, when the spell broke.

This is what he was thinking of when, four days after Roy’s visit, the name everyone was itching to hear rang over the intercom.

**Robin, B-0-1**

Normally Wally might speed over to the hangar and start pestering his friend, but this time he watched the hallway and waited for Robin’s arrival. The acrobat was in uniform. He looked sad, like everyone expected him to be, but not as much as they thought, considering how he reacted to the phone call. Or maybe that was the mask.

“Hey, Rob,” Wally said. Robin glanced in his direction and offered a smile, which was good.

“Hey.” Robin’s voice shook slightly, but not like it did the other day. “Is Kaldur here?”

“He’s in the pool.”

Robin nodded and practically bounded out of the kitchen. Wally watched him go, pretending he wasn’t entranced by the way Robin’s cape swayed around his legs as he walked. He jumped and looked away when a few drops of water splashed across his nose.

“Cold shower?”

He looked across the counter to see Zatanna leaning against it, chin propped in her hands, grinning at him. There was a glass of water by her elbow.

“What?” Wally asked.

“Cold shower, you look like you need one,” the magician elaborated.

“What? I don’t, he doesn’t, I… when did you get there?!” Wally tripped over his words, and Zatanna laughed.

“I’ve been sitting here for the last ten minutes. I was getting a snack, remember?” Zatanna lifted a box of crackers from her lap, and Wally slowly remembered their brief conversation. Seeing Robin had completely wiped that from his mind.

“Robin does too, just so you know,” Zatanna said.

“Robin does what?” Wally asked.

“You’ll know.” Zatanna nodded, satisfied that she hadn’t actually broken her promise to Robin, and slipped off the stool. Wally just stared after her in confusion, and promptly decided nothing that day made sense. Robin was happy—not that it wasn’t a good thing, just really surprising—Zatanna was being cryptic, and Wally himself was definitely _not_ staring at Robin’s ass when the hacker walked back into the lounge with Kaldur beside him.

Who was he kidding, of course he was. It was a nice ass. It took a moment, but Wally was incredibly surprised at the casualness of his thought process once he register _what_ exactly he had been thinking.

“We are meeting in the mission room,” Kaldur announced. Robin quickly typed something on his holo-glove, and a moment later Kaldur’s message was repeated throughout the cave. Rather than speeding off to be the first one in the room like usual, Wally walked a few paces behind Kaldur and Robin.

“No racing today, KF?” Robin asked without looking up.

“Uh, no, not today.” Wally shook his head.

“Enjoying the view?”

“Geez!” Wally jumped to the side, bumping his shoulder against the wall and glaring at Zatanna. “What is with you today? We already have a ninja. Where’d you come from?”

Zatanna raised her hands and wiggled her fingers. “Magic.”

“I thought you left already,” Wally said, grumbling slightly.

“Yeah, the kitchen. But this is the fastest way to the mission room.” Zatanna rolled her eyes.

“Fine. But, wait, what view?” Wally asked, but the magician had already jogged ahead so she could walk with Robin. Their heads tilted together as Zatanna whispered something, and Robin looked back over his shoulder. Wally could have sworn the acrobat was blushing.

When they got to the mission room, Robin made a beeline for the holo-computer, waving his hand through the air to power it up, and started typing away. Kaldur, Robin, Zatanna, and Wally were the only ones in the room. Wally was pretty sure they were the only ones in the cave, too, making the intercom announcement a little redundant.

“Is everyone else coming in from their cities?” Wally asked.

“No,” Robin answered before Kaldur could. “We’re just waiting on them.”

Wally was about to ask who ‘them’ was when Robin’s arm shot out and pointed to a hallway across the room as M’gann and Tula entered. M’gann lifted off the ground and floated over to the hacker.

“Hi, Robin. How are you?” she asked.

“I’m… okay.” There was no possible way Wally could miss the emotion put into that single word, and he cursed himself for not asking that very question when he first saw Rob ten minutes ago.

M’gann gave Robin a quick hug. “I made cookies yesterday, if you want any. I don’t think Wally ate them all yet.”

“Thanks, Miss M,” Robin said quietly, and the Martian pulled away. Wally could just see Robin’s fingers curl, not quite forming a fist, before he took a deep breath and kept typing.

“Hi Kaldur. What’s the meeting for?” Tula asked as she strode up to stand beside Wally and Zatanna. The speedster winked at her, purely out of habit, and wasn’t actually disappointed when she frowned in response.

“Robin has been investigating Kobra for the past few days, and has made some considerable discoveries,” Kaldur explained. While it was good that they would be making progress, Wally wasn’t sure it was healthy for Robin to throw himself into his vigilante work after losing someone. He should be taking a step back to mourn.

“We’ve already figured out the pattern of attack for the altered humans,” Robin said, picking up the explanation where Kaldur left off. Wally watched screens as Robin pulled up the map they saw before the Toledo mission.

“Far enough from any Zeta-Beams or protected cities so that we can’t interfere in time, and none of them around Toledo. I looked into the building, and it turns out that it’s owned by Lex Luthor. He went through a few minor companies, so his name isn’t actually on the deed, but I managed to trace it back.”

“So we’re dealing with the Light again?” Wally asked.

“They’re the group from New Year’s, right?” Tula looked around for confirmation. It was easy to forget sometimes that the two newest Atlanteans didn’t know everything the red of the Team did.

“Yeah.” Robin nodded. “The warehouse in Toledo had a large store of the Altered Serum, and all of it was destroyed in the explosion. Altered human appearances have slowed down since then, but they haven’t stopped entirely, meaning Kobra has another operation somewhere. I researched the various companies Lex used as proxies. They do a lot of business dealings together and in total they have over two-hundred joint-listed properties with two or more company names. Seventy-eight are involved with all four companies. Of those seventy-eight, twelve can be traced back to Luthor. And out of those twelve, there were only three a reasonable distance away from all altered human activity.”

As Robin explained, three pulsing yellow dots appeared on the map.

“Is anyone else getting a sense of déjà vu?” Wally whispered to the girls beside him.

“One of them is an offshore oil rig that was supposedly shut down two years ago.” A section of them map was enlarged, showing a satellite image of the rig off the west coast. “But it hasn’t been sold, and it isn’t slated for removal.”

“Tula, you and I will head to that location to investigate,” Kaldur said, and the female Atlantean nodded.

“The second property is a ranch in New Mexico. Not the most villainous location, but at least it’s not another warehouse on the docks.” Robin grimaced, and Wally knew he wasn’t just talking about Toledo. Gotham villains were incredibly predictable when it came to their bases. In image of the ranch filled another third of the screen. “M’gann and Zatanna, you’ll be heading there.”

The final location took up the remaining third of the map, displaying a dingy looking city with tall buildings and gothic architecture.

“Wait, that’s Gotham,” Wally said.

“Thank you, Kid Obvious.” Wally could hear Robin rolling his eyes. “The last location is an office building in Old Gotham. Formerly known as Arkham City.”

Wally looked around the room, counting the people, and pointing back and forth between him and Robin. “Please don’t tell me we’re going in there.”

“We’re not,” Robin confirmed. “Arkham City failed as a mass detention facility after Joker’s take over. While the inmates were rounded up and returned either to Blackgate or Arkham, the city hasn’t been able to properly re-assimilate the area, and it remains one of the most crime ridden sections of Gotham. We could go in there, easy, but if this is the Light, and that building really is being used for Kobra’s operation, we’ll be trapped in hell on Earth without backup.”

“Doesn’t that sound a little dramatic?” Tula asked.

“Not at all. Gotham City has the second highest crime rate in North America, and Old Gotham has the highest crime rate within the city. Do you know many steps it takes before you stumble across a dead body, or some kind of assault in progress?”

“Of course not.”

“I do. So we won’t be going there until the other two locations are cleared, and we can use a bigger recon team.”

“We are not to engage. Today is reserved for investigation only, _no matter what_ ,” Kaldur stressed. “Miss Martian, Zatanna. If you find something, you are to call Robin and Wally here at the mountain immediately, and wait for them to arrive before taking any drastic action. Tula and I will do the same.”

“Right.” M’gann nodded firmly.

“Be sure to stay in contact. Check in every hour, or else I’ll assume something bad has happened,” Robin added as an afterthought. The others filed out of the room until only Robin and Wally were left. Without speaking, Robin shut down the holo-computer and headed back in the direction of the lounge. Once again Wally chose to lope along behind, rather than speed ahead. For some reason, he felt content just watching instead of winning.

Robin sat in one of the armchairs and immediately turned on his holo-glove. Wally took a moment to stare around the room before laying across the couch.

“What do we do?” Wally asked.

“Monitor. We can’t leave the mountain until we know the others don’t need our help,” Robin answered.

“So… basically until they get back.”

“Basically, yeah.” Robin nodded.

“Asterous,” Wally muttered, stealing one of Robin’s favoured words.

“Not really. I think it’s a little heavier on the dis. I’d rather be out patrolling,” Robin mumbled right back. At this, Wally sat up, swinging his legs around and looking intently at the acrobat.

“Wally, you’re staring.”

“Yes, I am. And your… something, just died,” Wally said, wincing a little at his lack of tact. Robin’s typing paused for only a second, and he didn’t answer. “Do you want to talk about it or, uh, cry? It’s okay to cry.”

More silence.

“We could always call BC, you know, if you don’t want to talk to me. But you shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Doing what?” Robin snapped. “Working? Doing the same thing I always do? Do you think I should just sit back and feel sorry for myself? I _can’t_ do that.”

The rant was short, but Wally could already see how it relieved some of the Boy Wonder’s tension. Not wanting to ruin it, the speedster remained silent.

“Yeah, I’m sad. My uncle is dead and I’m a horrible person, because I _haven’t_ cried. But if I let myself do that, get lost I myself while there’s people to save, then I’d be spitting on the very reason I became a vigilante in the first place.” Robin was breathing heavily, and had abandoned his work, but still wouldn’t meet Wally’s gaze.

“Yes.”

“What?” Wally asked in confusion.

“Yes, I – I’d like to talk.”

“Okay. Then talk.”

Robin looked around, a habit Wally had noticed for a long time. It was probably a form of bat paranoia, constantly looking for hidden cameras or microphones. It meant Robin was going to say something big.

“My identity is still off limits-”

“Okay, Arnold.”

“Wrong guess, not even close.” Robin continued smoothly. “Batman, he isn’t my father. I mean, yeah, he’s like my dad, but my family, the blood ones, were murdered. The criminal who did it, he was my first catch. My uncle was the only one survived, but he has been hospitalized ever since. Or, he was. I’ve got Batman and Agent A, they’re my family now, but they were also my second family. With my uncle still alive, the first one wasn’t truly gone. Now, though…”

Robin looked close to breaking down. His shoulders were shaking, and the waver in his voice was more apparent. But he didn’t cry. Wally was beginning to understand what he meant.

“I started crime fighting because of what happened. I promised myself I wouldn’t let anyone else lose their families like I did. After I got the call, I sort of just shut down for a couple hours. I didn’t do anything, and they were the worst hours of my life. I can’t do that again, it would be an insult to my family. To everyone I’ve managed to save because of them. I don’t have the luxury of mourning, not until we figure out what Kobra’s up to. Only when that’s done I’ll cry.”

Wally nodded slowly. It still didn’t sound very healthy to him, but it made sense. Somehow catching Kobra was part of accepting what happened. Silently, he made a vow to find Kobra and throw him in jail as soon as possible.

Robin swiped at his nose, even though it hadn’t been close to running. Wally figured that was the hacker’s way of saying he was okay now, without actually saying it. With the sorrowful air dissipated, Wally would normally jump at the chance to annoy Robin until he agreed to play video games. It would be the fastest way to pass the time while waiting for the others to check it. But this time, he shoe not to.

Robin had quickly been absorbed back into his work, probably more research on the case, and was now completely engrossed. Even if Wally said something, he wasn’t sure the younger boy would hear. So he just took to watching instead. Not what Robin was doing, all that computer stuff remained out of Wally’s understanding, despite his own science skills, but the boy himself.

They had been friends ever since Wally joined the hero business. He remembered hearing somewhere that you never really notice the changes in the people you grew up with, until one day you look at them and realize how different they really are now. Maybe his aunt said it, or Black Canary. It sounded like some psychotherapy thing. This was Wally’s ‘one day.’

Wally clearly remember the day they met, and comment he had made in the spur of the moment. Even today, it still rang true. Robin the Boy Wonder looked a little bit like a Girl Wonder. His features were sharper now, no longer the rounded shape that’s common in childhood, but not square. He had grown lean, but more slender than one would expect from someone who worked out so much. None of those features were surprising in a guy, especially one Robin’s age. He was only just hitting puberty. Maybe he would shoot up a foot, or his body would finally catch up with his vigilante work, and he would fill out.

But there was still something distinctly feminine about him that Wally couldn’t really place. Maybe if he saw Robin without the mask it would solve everything. But Wally quickly dismissed that train of thought as a new one came barreling through his mind. Without the mask, Robin was probably pretty. At least that was the best word to describe the image in Wally’s mind. The speedster couldn’t help but smirk at that.

“What’s so funny?”

Wally had been staring too long. He hadn’t actually realized he’d forgotten to stop, but it was too late, and Robin had already noticed the attention.

“You’re a pretty boy, aren’t you?” Wally accused, decided to tease the Dark Squire instead and pretend he hadn’t just been staring for the past four minutes.

Robin blushed and stammered. “I am a very attractive individual.”

Looking affronted, in Wally’s eyes at least, Robin returned to his work. He grumbled quietly, too quietly for Wally to hear, but his grin widened anyways. It’s in that moment, gazing at the Boy Wonder’s pink tinged cheeks, that Wally makes an important discovery.

“Dude, just go obsess over your future girlfriend,” Robin says, now recovered from his embarrassment. Although it looks like he’s smiling now. “I’m busy.”

Wally’s ‘future girlfriend’ had actually slipped his mind in the past few days, which was surprising considering how much he liked Dixie. She was cute, funny, and she didn’t mind his flirting. Hell, she flirted back. She was the perfect girl for Wally. But it must just be a celebrity crush, because what Wally knows now is crazy, life-alteringly important.

Dixie Grayson may be Wally’s perfect girl, but Robin is his perfect boy. And Kid Flash _like_ likes his best friend.


	21. Chapter 21

In the wake of Wally’s epiphany came a hundred questions. If he liked Robin, did that mean he was gay? He liked girls, so maybe he was bi. _Did_ he still like girls? Did that even matter? What about his crush on Dixie? Was Robin gay? Did he like all guys now? Maybe Robin was a special case. Out of them all, there was one question that kept echoing around his head. It was resonating, a dull thud, persisting and ominous.

Did _Robin_ like _him_? That was the question, the big one. It didn’t matter that Wally liked him if in the end, his feelings weren’t reciprocated. In a blinding flash it came to him. _That_ _didn’t_ _matter_. When had Wally ever worried about reciprocated feelings before? He flirted with any girl he found attractive that moved. If he liked guys, why should he be any different about it? And it was just dawning on him that Robin looked pretty damn good. He reached a decision fairly quickly.

Wally would do what he always did. Flirt, and hope for the best.

…

Half an hour into their long, boring night in the mountain Robin noticed Wally was acting strange. He had been acting weird from the start, but at about the thirty minute mark his behaviour became the Wally equivalent of bizarre. Namely, he was silent and had a contemplative look. After her little confession, Robin was expecting Wally to pester her to relieve his own boredom, but it didn’t happen.

She didn’t mind, for the most part, since it allowed her to work uninterrupted on her research. There was still something about this entire situation that was bugging her. The altered human attacks were just a distraction, Robin knew that much. But she couldn’t figure out what for. Besides Kobra, all other members of the Light were either in jail, unaccounted for, or laying low. She had been scouring crime reports for anything characteristic of the seemingly inactive villains, and found nothing. There had been no sightings, no attacks, and no suspicious activity. Even Ra’s’ assassins had been off the radar since the gala.

But after an hour Robin started to get worried. Kaldur had just checked in, and he and Tula were within sight of the oil rig. They were just waiting on M’gann and Zatanna. Robin would give them twenty minutes before panicking. She looked up to tell Wally just as much, and was shocked at his expression. He looked conflicted, the corners of his mouth twitching between a smile and a frown. He was in the same position he’d been in when Robin caught him staring. Lying on his back, spread out across the couch, with his head hanging over the armrest so he could look at her upside down. But now his gaze was dancing across the ceiling.

“Wally, are you okay?” Robin asked. It felt a little strange, considering she had been the one he was concerned about not too long ago. Wally’s eyes stopped flitted about and he blinked once before looking at her. His face immediately flushed.

“Oh, uh, yeah. I’m okay. I’m… I’m great, actually, I think.” A wide smile broke out across his face, and he rolled onto his stomach. But he was already at the edge of the couch, and ended up toppling to the floor. Robin slapped a hand against her mouth to muffle her snickers, like Kaldur constantly told her to do. Wally grumbled, still blushing, and started to get up. He braced himself against the coffee table and his palm slipped off, making him lurch forwards. When he almost tripped as he stood, Robin gave up and let her laughter ring throughout the room. It had been a while since she laughed like that, even before her uncle died. It felt good.

“KF, d- _dude_! I know we- we call you Kid Klutz sometimes, but that… _ha ha ha_!” Robin gave up on speech, doubling over instead, and missed the way Wally’s eyes lit up.

“Okay, Wally. Something has to be up,” Robin said when her laughter died.

“Well…”

“ _Robin!_ ” Wally was interrupted as Zatanna’s voice sounded in their ears.

“Zee, what’s your status?” Robin asked, her expression turning serious.

“ _We’re at the ranch, and I think we’ve found something_.”

“We’re on our way. Robin out.” Robin pulled her hand away from here ear and stood up. “Come on, Walls, we’ve gotta run.”

Wally sped out of the room and returned in the space of a few seconds, now wearing his Kid Flash uniform, and scolded Robin. “That was horrible, really.”

“That’s why it’s totally whelming.” Robin cackled. She climbed onto Wally’s back, and he ran them to the Zeta-Beam. They burst out of the golden light in the closest Zeta to New Mexico and took off at breakneck speeds. In order to prevent the wind from ripping her away, Robin pressed her forehead to Wally’s back and kept her arms tightly wrapped around his shoulders. It took them months to perfect this style of travel, but it was one of the most efficient, if a little unfair to Wally.

When they arrived, they—or Wally—ran around the ranch three times before they found the girls. M’gann and Zatanna were hidden in the shadows of a rise, crowded by scraggly bushes and rocks. Wally skidded to a stop, ducking so Robin could smoothly flip off his back.

“Hey Miss M, Zee,” Robin greeted the two girls. She dug through her belt and pulled out an energy bar, tossing it to Kid Flash. “What did you find?”

“Kobra worshippers, but that’s not all. It’s better to show you,” Miss Martian said. She and Zatanna nodded to each other before rising and starting off towards the fence enclosing the property. “When we arrived, I started searching for nearby minds in case someone approached. That’s how we found Kobra’s cultists. We did a quick recon of the main building first before heading onto the property.”

“You weren’t spotted?” Robin asked.

“Kobra’s goons haven’t left the building since we arrived,” Zatanna explained. They climbed over the range’s fence, and M’gann continued speaking.

“I couldn’t feel any minds the further we got into the field, and we thought there would be nothing here, until Zatanna saw this.” M’gann pointed to a cluster of brown cows not too far away.

“So they have cattle, I don’t get it.” Wally shrugged. “It’s supposed to be a ranch, right?”

“But Miss M didn’t feel any minds,” Robin reminded him as she realized what M’gann was getting at.

“Exactly. Animal minds feel different. Some can be harder to sense, if it’s possible to sense them at all, because they don’t have the same intelligent processes. But I went to a farm with Connor once, and I know what the minds of cows feel like. But I couldn’t sense these.”

They approached the closest cow, which shuffled a little, looking at the heroes for a moment before returning to its meal. The others started to trod closer, but Robin ignored them as she powered up her holo-glove to scan the animal. Kid Flash leaned over her shoulder, looking at the screen, and making Robin blushed. Unbeknownst to the Kid Wonder, Wally noticed this little fact and smiled imperceptibly.

“It’s a robot. Probably Ivo’s, since he’s worked with the Light in the past. Not his usual style, but I guess even he has to make something that passes as normal once in a while,” Robin commented as she started inspecting the automaton.

“If it’s just to keep up appearances, why not use real cows?” Zatanna asked.

“Kid, can you do a run around?” Robin asked.

“You got it, babe.”

Robin jerked and looked up, but Wally was already gone. Beneath her masks, Dixie’s eyes were wide, and she looked at Zatanna. The magician was wearing a similar expression of shock. M’gann just looked confused.

“You heard that, right?” Robin asked. Zatanna and Miss Martian nodded.

“Is it an Earth custom to call close friends ‘babe’ as well?” M’gann asked.

“No,” Zatanna said, and a sly grin spread across her face. “No, it isn’t.”

Robin was still trying to recover from her shock when the cow robots attacked. Unfortunately, in the life of a hero, that wasn’t exactly strange. Moving in a way that only a robot cow could, the automaton kicked, its metal hoof digging into Robin’s side and throwing her away. She gasped at the flare of pain and rolled across the ground, scrambling at the dirt to try and slow down. When she stopped, Robin rose shakily, clutching her side. The robot cow that kicked her was in the process of changing. Its plating started separating, pushing outwards and expanding. It was more than double its original size when it stopped, the spaces of the original shell filled by green plating.

It wasn’t the only one. The entire herd had changed, so it was nearly twenty giant robot cows against three junior heroes. All at once, they charged.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. _Teg em ffo eht dnuorg!_ ” Zatanna shouted, and she rose into the air seconds before she could be hit. Miss Martian rose with her, so it was only Robin on the ground. A few of the robots leapt at the girls above, a feat not possible for normal cows, while the others veered and headed straight for Robin.

Acting fast, Robin grabbed her exploding disks and threw them forwards.

“Miss M, pull them apart!” she shouted as the explosives went off. Robin dove to the side to avoid being trampled by the cows that weren’t harmed, feeling the ground shake as they stomped their metal hooves.

“ _Yortsed eseht diputs swoc!_ ” Zatanna shouted, and she and Miss Martian started ripping the robots apart while Robin served as a distraction. On the ground she drew the cows’ attention by providing a constantly moving target. She flipped and twisted out of the way, throwing her exploding disks and lodged batarangs in their joints. The fight was more tiring than difficult, and Robin’s side continued to ache, resulting in a few close calls.

The ground was torn up by the cows’ hooves and Robin faltered as her foot slipped, dipping into a rut made by all stomping him. One of the robots was heading straight for her, and she quickly flipped backwards to evade. Doing so forced her to overstretch, and Robin hissed at the pain in her side. She successfully resisted the instinct to curl up, but couldn’t stop her hands from jerking, messing up her landing. Robin tumbled backwards, her shoulder jarring against a hard patch of dirt.

“Robin, look out!” Zatanna shouted, and the young hero’s head jerked up to see another robot charging towards her. She wouldn’t be able to roll out of the way in time. Robin was about to curl, hope that maybe she wouldn’t be trampled, when there was a sharp tug on her shoulder and she was jerked upwards. There was a moment when she was airborne before hitting the ground, skidding a few feet. She could hear, and feel, someone falling beside her.

There was a sound of screeching metal as it the final robot car was torn to shreds by M’gann and Zatanna’s combined power. Robin sat up, one hand pressed against her ribs, and spotted the yellow suited figure beside her.

“KF?” she asked.

“It is _really_ hard to run on this ground,” the speedster said, kicking some dirt and mud off his feet. “Sorry about the rough landing.”

“Wally, you…” In the presence of her secret crush, Robin’s shock had quickly returned. She hated it, because it made her feel weak, but she couldn’t help herself. Robin accepted who she was, accepted that she loved Wally, and accepted that it probably wouldn’t happen.

And then he called her _babe_. Sure, he called Richelle babe when they met, but this was _Robin_. This was Wally’s best friend who, for all he knew, was a boy. And Wally said babe. The speedster liked girls, but he could like boys to. He could like Robin.

 _She had a chance_.

“The rest of the property was empty. What happened here?” Kid Flash asked, pulling up his goggles. Robin snapped out of her reverie, catching Zatanna’s gleeful look before explaining.

“This property is definitely big enough that it wouldn’t be strange _not_ to see cows. So why go through the effort of building robots and putting them in the middle of the range? You can’t even see them from the road because of the crest over there.” She nodded in the direction of the fence. “I wanted you to confirm these were the only cows here, which means there’s something important about this area.”

Robin stood, wincing slightly, and walked towards what had once been the middle of the herd. It was the only patch of ground not torn up. She stomped against the ground, listening closely. She stopped when there was a metallic thud.

“Here.”

“ _Leaver s’tahw neddih ereh_ ,” Zatanna chanted, the dirt and grass was drawn away to reveal a metal hatch.

“The cows weren’t here to make this place look normal, they were made to guard this,” Robin finished.

“But it would be better guarded by the house, why put it all the way out here?” Miss Martian asked.

“I’m not actually sure, it doesn’t make sense. But the sound of our fight could have alerted Kobra’s followers, so we should hurry.” Robin grabbed the handle, and glanced up at her teammates, receiving a quick nod from each. She pulled, and there was a light hiss. The door swung open, releasing a wave of hot steam with it. M’gann immediately reeled back away from the heat.

“There’s a ladder,” Robin said as she peered into the hatch. The tunnel down didn’t look too long, she could see light at the bottom. “Miss M, maybe you should stay up here. We don’t know how hot it is down there.”

“I’ll stay with her,” Zatanna added, a little too quickly. “We should stay in two man teams, right?”

“Right.” Robin’s eyebrow quirked at the magician, who just smiled innocently and shot her a discreet thumbs up. Robin stuck her tongue out at the magician and started climbing down the hatch. It got hotter as they went farther down, and Robin was sweating uncomfortably by the time she reached the bottom. Rather than dirt, like she had been expecting, the walls and ceiling were rock. It was a small cavern, just tall enough for comfortable standing, and lights hung all around it. With the hatch opened, the steam pouring from a large crack in the wall wafted up towards the surface, and Robin decided it was probably a good idea M’gann was still above ground.

“Wow, it’s not in here,” Wally said when he landed beside her. “But not as hot as you, babe.”

“Wally!” Robin snapped, both shocked and pleased.

“What?” the speedster asked.

“What are you doing?”

“Um…” Wally faltered, surprised. He thought it would have been obvious, he never exactly tried to be subtle. Usually by this point he was either rejected, or got some kind of positive response. He wasn’t sure whether it was a good thing or not he had gotten neither so far. “Uh, what do _you_ … think I’m doing?”

“I think you’re trying to flirt with me. Emphasis on _trying_ ,” Robin said, blushing slightly.

“Hey, I happy to be a pretty attractive guy. Lots of people like my flirting,” Wally defended himself.

“People, or girls?” Robin asked. She had to confirm something.

“People, I’d like to think. Or at least, you know, you.” Wally rubbed the back of his neck, looking at Robin before quickly looking away. The former acrobat was blushing furiously, unsure whether to smile or scold her best friend. This really was a bad time for something like this, and Robin was feeling very caught off guard. The whole situation had her fairly flustered, so she said the only thing she could think of.

“We’ve got a mission to finish.”

“Oh, right, yeah. What now?” Wally asked.

“Through there.” Robin looked to the crack in the wall leaking steam. It was just big enough for them to squeeze through. Robin went first, since she was smaller and it would be easier for her. It was stifling sliding between the two walls, because the steam and heat had nowhere else to go. Robin took an eager breath when she reached the other side. It was still a lot warmer than the first cavern, but better than the path between them. This room was a lot bigger, and Robin immediately focused on the river cutting through the middle of it. New Mexico was home to the largest discovered underground river, so it wasn’t strange to see one as small as this here. It also explained the ranch’s location, they needed the constant water supply, but couldn’t use an existing water source without any major construction drawing attention.

The section of the cavern where the river disappeared through the rocks tapered off until it was low enough no one could pass through. The other side remained wide, and Robin theorized it could be followed for some time before a person could be forced underwater. Pipes and cables sprouted from the upriver cave, along with a string of lights that lit up a small turbine against the wall. They were using the river’s flow to generate electricity, which explained why the lights were on. Across from Robin, on the other side of the cave, was a door set into the rocks. She looked over her shoulder, to the first cavern, and tried to orient herself according to the outside. If she was right, that door faced the direction of the ranch house.

“So there’s a path going from here to there,” Robin mused. “Then the hatch must be an escape route. That explains why it wasn’t locked.”

“This is cool, but I don’t get what’s so important about it,” Kid Flash said when he reached her side.

Robin looked at the source of the steam, a contraption on the downriver exit. It was braced on either side of the river, sitting squat over the water just before the cave tapered. There was a thick vented tube dipping into the water, facing the current, and several thin pipes on top were releasing the steam. The machine wasn’t producing a lot of steam in general, but the enclosed space kept it hot and stuffy. Robin headed straight for it while Wally went to look at the generator.

There was a sliding panel on the front of the machine, and Robin pushed it open to look inside. There was a large tub, filled with a murky green liquid. The tube from the river rose above the substance and curved at the top, so a steady stream of water was flowing into the tub. The green substance was less dense, and the two liquids were mostly separated. A burner at the tubs base was superheating the water, so it boiled and bubbled up to the top. The steam was tinted a pale green, and forced by sloping panels towards the pipes on top. Most of the green substance condensed when it touched the metal and dripped down to a smaller bin on the side. The diluted substance was much more transparent, and looked rather like dyed water.

Robin had no idea what it was, but intended to find out. She grabbed two vials from her belt and took samples of the diluted and undiluted substance.

“KF, any idea what this is?” Robin called. There was a rush of wind, and the speedster was soon hovering over her shoulder.

“Not from looking, though I’m guessing you already know that.”

“I can dream, can’t I? I’ll break down the samples to get the molecular structure, then you can take a look at it,” Robin said. “We should probably get going. We’ve already been down here a few minutes.”

“Acrobats first?” Wally asked, waving a hand to the crevice in the wall.

“You’re too kind.” Robin rolled his eyes, pocketing the vials and heading back to the entrance. She reached the ladder and set her boot on the first rung. She was about to start climbing when she paused and looked back. “Wally, when we get back to the mountain… there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

She nodded firmly and started heading upwards.

…

Tula and Kaldur’s mission went well, which means the offshore oil rig had been just that, nothing strange or villainous going on. After discussing the findings from the ranch with Kaldur, Robin put the samples in the computer to be analyzed overnight. If they couldn’t gather enough information from that, it looked like they would have to brave the former Arkham City after all.

Robin headed to her room to change into civilian attire, and Wally was waiting outside her door when she arrived.

“You said you wanted to talk?” he asked. She nodded, pulling him inside and closing the door. Wally sat down on her bed, and Robin took her time undoing the clasp of her cape, folding it up, and laying it across the back of her chair. Next were her gloves, then she removed her belt, laying out her supplies and counting everything.

“How are you ribs?” Wally asked in the silence.

Robin’s hand paused over the final unused smoke bomb. “They’re okay, I think they’re just bruised.”

“So, what did you want to say?”

Robin sighed and sat down next to the speedster, her hands curling and uncurling as she pressed them against her knees. She didn’t like feeling nervous, feeling so damn _girly_. This was _Wally_. Who she loved, who probably liked her. She was still sad over the death of her uncle. It didn’t make sense, being sad and happy at the same time, and she felt guilty for wanting to be happier.

“You were flirting with me,” she stated.

“Yeah, we’ve established that.”

“Right. But why?”

“I mean, generally _I_ do it because I like someone, I don’t know about you. I’ve never actually liked a guy before, but I’m pretty sure that’s what this is.”

Robin’s hands stilled. “You like me?”

“Well, yeah. You’re my bro, my best friend.” Wally saw Robin’s expression, and hurried to explain further. “I mean more than a friend! You know, people always say that thing, where they’re dating their best friend, or they fell in love with their best friend. That kind of thing. You know what I mean?”

Robin’s intention had been to tell Wally her particular gender situation. It would be a step to revealing her identity. That was the only thing she meant to do. But before she could think about the consequences of her statement, she had already spoken. “I know what you mean.”

She gave him a significant look, and for a moment they just stared at each other, open green eyes and blue, hidden behind a mask. Robin wasn’t sure who leaned in first. It could have been her, it could have been Wally. She didn’t even notice when it happened, not until their noses were brushing, his hands were on her waist, and hers were on his shoulders.

Then they kissed.


	22. Chapter 22

Since the start of the school year, Robin had gone on a couple dates with this guy on her mathletes team. He was sweet, and courteous, and they kissed a couple times. But they broke it off early. Not for anything big, and there was nothing awkward between them now. They were friends, and they realized that was it. Kissing him had just been that, a kiss. It was nice but ultimately amounted to very little.

Kissing Wally? That was completely different. It was a chaste thing at first. They leaned close, their lips brushed, pressed together, then they pulled away. But it was only for a few seconds. After that it was passionate.

Robin had never made out with anyone before, and quickly decided she wouldn’t mind if it lasted forever. Wally’s hands moved from her waist to curl around her back, while her arms wrapped around his neck. They remained sitting upright for a time, but Wally was considerably taller than her and had to lean down. Eventually Robin gave in to the momentum and dropped backwards, bouncing lightly against her pillows while Wally held himself against her.

Wally, being a speedster, had ample time to change into civvies before everyone else, so Robin’s hands were touching bare skin as they slipped around his neck and drifted over his collar. In the back of her mind, she realized Wally might notice something was off about her figure, which as far as the speedster knew was male, as his hands drifted upwards. She quickly forgot as she melted further into the kiss. She wanted to be closer to him, to never let him go.

Robin’s arms wrapped possessively around Wally’s waist, and her back arched as he did the same, pressing their bodies together. Neither of them wanted to pull away, and they probably would have stayed together for some time if it weren’t for the beeping in Robin’s ear. She quickly drew her hands away from Wally’s waist and pressed them against his chest, forcing them to separate.

“Batman,” she said shortly. Wally’s eyes widened and he shot upright. The two teens scrambled apart, both of them very red faced as they realized what they had been doing for the past few minutes. Robin quickly distracted herself with answering Batman’s call.

“Robin here,” she spoke sharply. While she continued speaking with her mentor, Wally was starting to panic. Not because of the kiss. Well, sort of. That had been amazing, the greatest kiss he ever had. And it was with Robin, who was the son of _Batman_. The Bat, Gotham’s Dark Knight, the hero that preyed on fear. The hero that was very, _very_ protective of his little bird.

“I’m gonna be killed,” Wally muttered.

“You’re not going to die,” Robin scolded him as she rose. “But I need to go. And, uh… I need to go.”

Still blushing, Robin rushed out of her room. Wally didn’t move until he heard his best friend’s designation code ringing out through the cave. He could still feel Robin’s hands on his waist, and taste the acrobat’s lips. Wally stood and sought out the only person he could think of, hoping she was still in the mountain.

“Zatanna?” Wally shouted as he walked through the halls.

“Hey, Wally.” The magician was sitting in the lounge. “What happened? Robin just ran by, and s- he looked pretty rushed. And kind of red.”

“We kissed,” Wally said as he sat down on an armchair. Zatanna’s eyes widened. But instead of the shocked expression the speedster had been expecting, she was smiling.

“It’s about damn time!” Zatanna said, and she shuffled to the edge of the couch, leaning towards him. “What happened? You _do_ like him, right?”

“I don’t know! We were talking, then we kissed. And yeah, I do.” Wally threw his arms up, feeling frustrated.

“Huh. Maybe you really do need a cold shower this time.” Zatanna smirked.

“Okay, what is it with that? You said that earlier, and what does that- oh.” Wally, who was constantly making suggestive advances on the women around him, took a moment to understand what Zatanna meant, and scowled at her when he did.

The magician just giggled. “You really are Kid Oblivious.”

It suddenly dawned on Wally. “Before, you said ‘he does too.’ You were talking about Robin, right?”

“Of course, who else?” Zatanna rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you don’t know he likes you. You did just kiss.”

“I know!” Wally shouted defensively. “He told me, sort of. It was heavily implied. Did you know?”

“Yeah.”

“For how long?”

“Since before Robin realized it. Or accepted it, at least,” Zatanna said. She leaned back, her expression turning serious. “Listen, Wally. If you really do like Robin, you have to be all in. I can’t tell you why, but he struggled when he realized he liked you. The past couple weeks haven’t been easy for him. He didn’t think there was any chance with you, and if you aren’t in it completely, it just might break him.”

Wally was stunned, to say the least, and couldn’t think of a response. He didn’t have to, because Zatanna stood up and headed to her room. Wally was trying to wrap his head around what the magician said, but he just couldn’t get it. Idly, he wondered if it had something to do with Robin’s identity.

…

She kissed Wally. She _kissed_ Wally. She kissed _Wally_. _She kissed Wally._ On purpose! They had kissed before, but that was only because of Zatanna’s meddling. This had been real. Dixie’s mind was a roaring tumult of thought and emotion as she Zeta-Beamed to the Batcave and changed into civvies so she could meet Bruce upstairs.

 _She kissed Wally_.

Was it a good thing, or was it bad? It certainly felt good, right. It was what a kiss should be, and suddenly those few chaste moments with her mathlete friend didn’t count. That hadn’t been real, but this was. Her skin, despite not being touched, tingled where Wally’s hands drifted over her vest. Dixie paused when she exited the Batcave into Bruce’s study and sharply shook her head.

She was only thirteen, she shouldn’t be thinking like that. But she was, and it was because of Wally of all people. Wally, who thought she was guy, thought he liked a guy.

“I am a boy,” Dixie insisted. “He likes one, and I am one.”

She repeated this over an over until the name Dixie didn’t quite suit anymore, and she was a he. Richie could hear Anderson’s voice in the back of his mind, telling him it wasn’t healthy to force himself to another gender. Richie ignored it. He tugged the sleeve of his shirt, thankful the civvies he kept in the cave were fairly neutral. He just wished his chest was still bound.

As he was leaving the study, he caught sight of the liquor cabinet and was immediately reminded of a certain incident at the cave only a few days ago, the day he found out his uncle died. But that wasn’t the only thing that stuck out in his mind that day.

_“I think I just decided to tell B.”_

Richie had been a little bubbly, his preferred choice of words, so the decision had been spurred along by the alcohol and not entirely his own. He had quickly forgotten about it in the wake of the phone call and funeral, but it was coming back to him now.

He wanted to tell Wally, so badly. Richie was going to tell him before the kiss happened, and his thoughts sort of melted away. Maybe it would be better to tell Bruce first. If Wally didn’t accept him, Richie wouldn’t know how to handle it.

But Bruce… well, he was Bruce. Richie had been living with him for almost five years. Despite what many people thought, Bruce really tried to be supportive. They both knew that Richie being on the gymnastics team could become a potential risk to his identity, but Bruce still let him do it, trusted him to reel it back and not show off too much. Bruce was, eventually, fine with Barbara knowing Richie’s identity, and readily accepted Zatanna’s knowledge of it. He wasn’t bad, as a parent, and Richie was sure Bruce would accept him. He might be a little confused at first, Richie certainly had been, but Bruce always _tried_.

Barbara and Zatanna accepted him, Anderson knew what he was going through. But they were friends—and an acquaintance. Richie needed family, the only family he had left, to tell him it was okay to be the way he was. There was just one thing he needed to do first.

Richie took out his phone and called Barbara.

“ _Hey, Grayson. How are you doing?_ ” Barbara asked as soon as she answered. Richie could hear the concern in her voice, but focused on something else first.

“Grayson?”

“ _Yeah. I can’t see you, so I don’t really have any hints about your gender, so I’ve decided to just go with a solid neutral until I know otherwise,”_ Barbara explained.

“That’s actually- thanks, Babs, that means a lot. Today’s a Richie day, at least now it is. And I’m… good, I’m okay.” Richie nodded, deciding that was the right choice of words. He was sad, confused, and also a little happy. Okay seemed pretty appropriate.

“ _You better not be lying to me.”_

“I’m not.”

“ _Good, that’s all I wanted to hear. What’s up?_ ”

“Two things, actually. I kissed Wally-”

“ _Tell me everything, immediately!”_

“Later, I promise. There’s something more important right now.

 _“What could be more important than that?”_ Richie rolled his eyes. He could easily picture Barbara’s deadpan, and slightly scolding, stare.

“I’m going to tell Bruce. He called me back from the mountain for something civilian related. After that, I’ll tell him.”

“ _I’ll be there in ten minutes_.”

“Babs, you don’t need to,” Richie insisted.

 _“Yes I do. Can you honestly say you wouldn’t rather have me there?_ ”

Richie hesitated. “No.”

“ _Exactly. See you soon.”_

Richie hung up and shook his head. It would take twenty minutes at least to get from Barbara’s apartment to Wayne Manor. There was no way she would make it before Richie got it over with, but the sentiment was encouraging and spurred him to go find Bruce. He found his guardian in one of the lesser used family rooms downstairs.

“Hey, Bruce, what’s up?” Richie asked, putting on a faux casual air.

“The Kanes are coming over for dinner tomorrow, I forgot to tell you. But you don’t have to be here if you’re not feeling up to it,” Bruce said.

“No, I’m okay. But, is that it? You didn’t really have to call me back from the mountain for that.” Richie looked around the room wondering why Bruce had chosen to wait here. It was nice, and unattached. A room meant for entertaining guests, and even then it was hardly used.

“What about school tomorrow? Are you ready to start again?”

Ah, that’s why. He was in protective mentor mode, which meant he was feeling uncomfortable with how emotional he was being, and needed something to be unemotional. A hardly used room worked well enough. Richie was always a little amused when Batman and Bruce started to overlap, and it was always when he worried about his charge. It was somewhat reassuring, to know both sides of Bruce cared about him so much, and helped to bolster Richie’s confidence. He was making the right choice, telling Bruce now.

“I don’t want to miss anything, and I’ll have Babs with me,” Richie reassured him. “But you still could have interrogated me tomorrow.”

Bruce scowled good naturedly at Richie’s choice of words, making his charge smirk. “You haven’t been sleeping.”

“I slept last night.”

“For two hours. And that’s if you were even asleep when Alfred checked on you.” Bruce gave him a scolding look, and Richie’s shoulders fell and he looked away like a child that had been caught in a lie. Which, technically, he was. Even Richie sometimes forgot he was still only thirteen, barely a teenager. “I know you had some sort of breakthrough with your case, and you had to send the team on a mission. But you can tell me about it tomorrow. Tonight, sleep.”

“Fine. But Bruce, there’s something that… I want to tell you.” Richie hesitated, suddenly feeling very nervous, while Bruce looked at him expectantly.

“Yes?”

“I’m, um… okay, so you know how I sometimes walked around the manor with my mask on? And I never really told you or Alfred this, but sometimes I would feel really weird as Dixie, like I wasn’t really Dixie, and pretending I was Robin made me feel better. And I’ve always thought of Robin as male, and it was a lot easier to think of myself as male when I was Robin, to make playing the role a lot easier too,” Richie rambled, and now that he had started, it was hard to stop. Instead he pushed through it to finish the explanation. “I told this to Babs, and Zatanna cast this spell when we were following that altered human, and there pillars of light. Babs did some research, and she told me something that really made a lot of sense and revealed something really important to me. I’m bigender.”

As expected, Bruce looked incredibly confused. No doubt in part to Richie’s rapid and unnecessarily elaborate explanation. Richie decided to clarify a little.

“Gender is a societal concept of classified behaviours and psychological states. Normally, someone falls into either gender category, but the boundaries aren’t as easy as that. When people are born, they’re labeled either one gender or the other, based on their physical sex, but some people aren’t actually the same as the gender they’re assigned. And sometimes, it’s even more complicated than that. I think there’s a couple different ways to define it, but the type of bigender I am, I can be either male or female, and I sort of fluctuate between the two. Like today, you think I’m a girl, right? But today I’m a boy, and I kind of prefer being called Richie on these days.”

Richie, who was not one to back down from a challenge, refused to look away from Bruce throughout his confession, and he kept watching his guardian long after he finished speaking. This meant he bore witness to every little change in Bruce’s expression as it went from confusion to disappointment/

“You’re what?” Bruce spoke harshly, and with those words the light in Richie’s eyes died. Already he could feel the tears stinging his eyes and his breath catching in his throat. He tried to stutter out a response, anything.

_Please accept me._

_I can’t help it._

_I didn’t mean to._

_I’m sorry._

Instead of any of that Richie said, “Maybe I shouldn’t go to dinner tomorrow,” before running out of the room.

…

Barbara was peddling as fast as she could up the drive of Wayne Manor. It had taken her a good five minutes to convince her father to let her bike to Richie’s house, especially since it was almost nighttime. But she didn’t want to pull her dad away from work and promised to stay over for the night, as well as call when she arrived. Barbara ditched her bike on the front step, something she had done many times before, and pulled out her phone. It went to voicemail.

“Hey, Dad. I just got to the manor, and I’ll see you after school tomorrow. Love you.” She hung up and knocked sharply on the manor door. As always, Alfred as quick to open it.

“Good evening, Miss Gordon. I wasn’t aware you were coming,” Alfred greeted her.

“It was a bit of a last minute thing.” Barbara shrugged.

“I assume you are looking for Master Dixie. She has retired to her bedroom early tonight, but I’m sure she’s waiting for you.” Alfred stepped back to allow Barbara inside. The butler’s choice of words struck a chord with her.

“She?” Barbara asked quietly, and she was filled with dread.

“Is something wrong, Miss Gordon?” Alfred asked.

“I think so. Sorry to run, Alfred!” Barbara shouted as she bounded through the hall and up the stairs. She didn’t stop running until she reached Richie’s room and threw door open, hard enough that it banged against the door and slammed itself shut again. Barbara glanced at the wall just long enough to notice the doorknob shaped dent before rushing to the bed, where Richie was lying with his face buried in the pillows. She didn’t say anything, just lay down beside him and threw and arm over his shoulders. Richie responded immediately, turning towards Barbara and curling up against her.

“I’m sorry,” Barbara whispered after a few minutes.

“I am too,” Richie gasped between his sobs, and Barbara held him tighter.

“You shouldn’t have to be.”


	23. Chapter 23

“Richie?” Barbara gently, and reluctantly, nudged her best friend awake the next morning. They hadn’t said much after their short exchange last night, and Richie had quickly fallen asleep. By the time Barbara woke up Bruce was already gone, which meant she couldn’t yell at him for being a horrible person. She put off waking Richie for as long as possible, changing into the uniform she brought with her, and nipping downstairs to grab something to eat. But now they would have barely enough time to get to school, so Barbara poked and prodded the young hero until he opened his eyes. They weren’t red anymore, but his cheeks were heavily tear tracked.

“Are you going to come to school today?” Barbara asked.

“Yeah. I don’t want to be here,” Richie said, sitting up and trudging over to the bathroom with his uniform in hand. Barbara heard the water turn on as Richie washed his face. She got their bags together while Richie got changed.

“Alfred already has the car, I’ll just come back for my bike after school, but I don’t know if you want to- that’s new.” Barbara stopped when Richie exited the bathroom and raised an eyebrow at his uniform. Rather than the standard skirt he had been wearing since the beginning of the year, he had on a pair of dark blue slacks.

“I got them a couple days ago.” Richie shrugged.

“They look good. Come on, we don’t want to be late.” Barbara tossed Richie his bag and they headed down to the car.

“Master Dixie, did you and Master Bruce fight again?” Alfred asked as they slid into the backseat. Barbara saw Richie’s grip tighten on his backpack.

“Something like that,” he answered.

“Actually, Alfred,” Barbara said, intent on setting the butler straight. Before she could Richie shot her a look and gave his head a sharp shake. “I need to talk to Grayson about something.

“Of course, Miss Gordon.” There was a light hum as the partition between the front and back went up. As soon as it stopped, Barbara shifted in her seat so she was facing Richie. Richie met her gaze immediately, and the staring contest began. As always, neither of them were willing to give up. Richie was never good at that, and that’s what made Barbara so sad now. He looked like he had done just that.

“Wally,” the way Richie flinched nearly killed Barbara, “is nothing like Bruce.”

“And apparently I thought Bruce would be nothing like Bruce.”

“Leave Bruce to me,” Barbara insisted. “But Wally, you _love_ Wally. You guys kissed! Are you really not going to tell him?”

“Why do I have to? Why do I have to tell anyone?” Richie rounded on her. “Why can’t I just be me? I just want to go back to being Richelle Grayson, and only Richelle Grayson. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about Bruce, or Wally, or _anyone_ accepting me!”

“Because that’s not who you are,” Barbara said sternly. Bruce is a jerk, and there are lots of people that will react badly, but you can’t let them stop you from being who you are. _You_ are Richie Grayson, the youngest hero in the world, the Dark Squire, my best friend. You are a handsome girl, and a beautiful boy, and screw anyone who doesn’t see that. And Wally will, but you have to tell him first.”

Slowly, Richie started to smile. There was still pain hidden in his expression, but it was a start. “Babs, have I ever told you how asterous you are?”

“Not recently. You could say it a little more.” Barbara sat properly again.

“You’re probably the second most asterous person I know.”

“Second?”

“Of course, the first is me.”

They laughed so hard Alfred had to lower the partition again to check if they were all right.

…

Barbara kept a close eye on Richie all day. She was happy her little pep talk managed to lift his spirits, it was obvious Richie was still feeling down. Understandable, and expected considering Bruce’s reaction. Richie’s behaviour throughout the day was subdued and he was less chatty than usual. No one seemed to question his slight wardrobe change. Either their classmates didn’t notice, or they just didn’t care.

It didn’t matter to Barbara which one was true, as long as people were leaving Richie alone. His status at school was confusing. Richie was charismatic, good-looking, and generally got along with people well. He was friends with nerds and athletes alike. But being Bruce Wayne’s ward was a double-edged sword. For some people, that meant sucking up and an extra incentive to befriend him. For others, it meant spite because of company feuds, and Wayne Enterprises dominated in every field. Then there were the people that didn’t like Richie because of his lower-class origins, as they put it. Those were the people Barbara expected to point out or make some big thing of Richie’s slacks, since some teenagers would bully someone over anything.

But Barbara needn’t have worried, not yet at least. It would only be a matter of time. But until then, she had another bully to deal with. Barbara promised she would take care of Bruce, and that was still the plan. She just needed a little backup first, which is why she hung around at the manor after class.

“Do you have any Robin work to do?” Barbara asked.

“Actually, yeah. I need to get some results from the mountain first though. I’m going to work on our case instead of going to the dinner tonight.” Richie’s voice got quieter with his last statement, and they descended into the Batcave in silence. Richie slapped on a pair of sunglasses and took off his blazer with the Gotham Academy logo on it before disappearing inside the Zeta-Beam. As soon as the light faded, Barbara rushed over to the discarded blazer and dug through the pockets to find Richie’s cellphone. She skipped down to the bottom of his contact list and copied the number into her own phone before typing out a quick message.

 **You:** Zatanna, I’m Barbara Gordon, Robin’s best friend. He told me you know his ID, and you’ve been supporting him to. I need your help.

…

When Richie returned to the Batcave after sending the sample analyses to his personal computer, Barbara rushed home saying she had an important meeting to get to. Richie just rolled his eyes and headed up to his room. His plan was to carefully go through all reports related to the Kobra case to see if he could find any new leads.

Richie settled at his desk, laptop open and several printed files lain out across his desk. He wasted a generous portion of time getting everything set up properly, knowing that if he wasn’t fully immersed in work by the time the Kane’s arrived, Alfred would make him go down to dinner.

“Master Dixie?”

Speaking of Alfred, Richie turned from his desk to the butler standing in the doorway. “Hey, Alfie.”

“Master Bruce told me you will not be joining us for dinner,” Alfred said.

“I’m not really feeling up to dealing with something like that. Besides, I’ve got lots of work to do for the Team’s case.” Richie nodded back at his desk and all the materials on top of it.

“Dealing with the young Miss Kane, or Master Bruce?” Alfred asked, smiling lightly.

“A little bit of both,” Richie admitted. He had managed to avoid Bette all day, he didn’t have the energy to deal with her now. Bruce he simply didn’t want to see. The last thing he wanted was to face was that disappointing stare. He would almost take dealing the Joker solo over that.

“I can’t say I don’t understand. Miss Kane is a talented girl, though she can have an off putting personality. But there is something you must remember about Bruce. He may be stern at times, and he is not the most emotive guardian. At the same time he cares greatly, and I’m sure he is struggling with this as much as you are.” Alfred smiled reassuringly. “If you insist on locking yourself away, I suppose I will have to bring you up some dinner and tea later.”

“Thanks, Alfred.” Richie smiled in returned. As soon as Alfred was out of the room the expression dropped, and Richie dropped into his chair. “But I don’t think you’re right.”

…

By the time the Kane’s arrived Richie was immersed in his research. The first thing he had done was read over the chemical reports, but they revealed nothing. On their own, they were harmless. The diluted mixture was just that, highly diluted. The water didn’t have any noticeable effect on the chemical itself, besides make it less effective at nothing. Richie knew it had to have some purpose. Lex Luthor wouldn’t provide the funds for something like this only for it to be useless.

Richie had two theories. Either it was missing a key ingredient, or it was meant to react to something. If he were in the Batcave, he could slide a sample under a microscope and take a good look at the cells rather than just scanning chemical breakdowns. Science and chemicals were more Wally’s thing, Richie liked to focus on math, but being a thorough detective meant having a wide range of skills, at least in the hero world. Batman and Robin didn’t exactly have a forensics lab they could send evidence to, unless they asked Barry for a favour, but that wasn’t Batman’s style.

Having hit a dead end, he went back to what he did know. Which wasn’t much, considering the altered humans had all but stopped appearing over the weekend. The authorities were satisfied with the lack of attacks, but Richie didn’t like it. The altered humans were nothing more than a distraction. If they weren’t attacking, it meant a distraction wasn’t needed. Kobra’s plan, whatever it was, had almost reached fruition. Richie was staring intensely at a heavily marked map, with every altered human sighting indicated with bright blue and protected cities circled in red.

“Come on, Grayson,” Richie mumbled, drumming his fingers on the desk. He stopped when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in!” he called, knowing—and hoping—it would be Alfred. It was. The elderly man was carrying a tray of sandwiches and tea, just like he promised.

“I hope your research is going well,” he said as Richie shoved some papers aside to make room for the tray.

“More like dis-well.” Richie groaned.

“I believe there is already a word for that, Master Dixie. Unwell?”

“Oh, right.” Richie smiled sheepishly and snatched up one of the sandwiches. “So, how’s the dinner going?”

“As well as dinner with the Kane’s can,” Alfred said stiffly, and Richie chuckled. There was an ongoing competition between Bruce and Phillip, his cousin, that started in high school and persisted into their adult lives. Any time they got together, a pissing contest ensued and subtly jabbed each other for their shortfalls while bragging about their own accomplishments. Alfred always thought their behaviour was distasteful.

“What are they bragging about now?” Richie asked.

“Phillip is currently regaling Miss Kanes’ most recent tennis achievements. Once he’s finished, I believe it will be Master Bruce’s turn.”

“Oh.”

“Maybe you should listen to what he says. It may make up for whatever he’s done that has caused your displeasure.” As Alfred left, Richie considered his words. Maybe he had been wrong about Bruce, maybe it was all a misunderstanding. He had yet to see the man today. A night of careful consideration may have twisted his view around. Richie took a slow, thoughtful bite of his sandwich as he came to a decision. He crept downstairs to the guest dining room, careful to remain in the hall where he wouldn’t be seen, but close enough to hear what they were saying clearly. Phillip was just coming to the end of his tale.

“And it was the shortest match I had ever seen, Bette’s serves were magnificent.” Phillip chuckled.

“Thank you, Daddy.” Richie could easily picture the smug smile on Bette’s face.

“Of course, darling. So Bruce, where’s daughter this evening? She’s probably still feeling down.”

Richie stiffened, holding his breath and waiting tensely for Bruce’s response.

“She’s not my daughter.” Richie’s breath left him in a rush and he stumbled back against the wall, bumping the hall table and rocking the expensive vase on top. His hands shot up to steady the art piece, but it continued to shake, stopping only when he let go. Inside the dining room it was silent for very noticeable moment.

“Right, ward, isn’t it? I though you would have adopted her by now.” Phillip chuckled again.

“No.” Richie didn’t wait around to hear what else Bruce was going to say. He fled upstairs, collapsing onto his chair and staring blankly at the map. He didn’t cry this time, just came to a grim realization. Not only did Bruce not accept him, but Bruce didn’t want him anymore either. It was a fear Richie had during his first weeks as the Wayne ward, and he expected to be thrown back to juvie at any moment.

Now, he wasn’t sure what that fear cumulated to. Bruce was his guardian until he reached eighteen, at which point Richie would gain legal independence, and could do whatever he wanted. But that was five years away. What would happen to him until then? Bruce wouldn’t possible kick him out. At least he wouldn’t before, now Richie wasn’t so sure. But Alfred probably wouldn’t let him. If it came down to it, Richie could always just leave. He was smart, he knew Gotham’s streets well.

But what did that leave for Batman and Robin? The Team needed him. If he left, he would lose his resources for hero work. No, he couldn’t run away. Richie groaned, dropping his head onto his desk. He stared at the bright red circle around Gotham, the city he had dedicated the last five years to protecting. He couldn’t abandon it, not with all the crazies running around.

Richie’s eyes widened. He wasn’t at a complete dead end. There was one property belonging to Lex Luthor they hadn’t investigated yet. He lunged for his utility belt, which was cached under his bed, and grabbed his Team communicator.

“I need anyone that’s available to meet me by the Gotham Zeta-Beam in two hours. We’re going to Arkham City.”


	24. Chapter 24

Richie was almost caught when he slipped down to the cave. The Kane’s had just left and he was crossing the foyer landing in order to reach Bruce’s study.

“Dixie!” Richie froze at the shout and looked down at Bruce, who was staring up at him. He didn’t move, to afraid that if he did, it would spur something. All Bruce did was stare, his gaze concentrated, before huffing and turning away. The moment his back was facing Richie, the young hero stole away.

Robin made sure his belt was stocked to capacity with all the Gotham essentials. Antidotes to various toxins and gases, special bombs that were half the size but packed twice the punch, and a pair of Eskrema sticks. He had been practicing extensively with them for the past few months but hadn’t used them in the field yet. Now was as good a time as any to try.

With everything ready he mounted the R-cycle and sped out of the cave. The two hour time frame had been for the others rather than him. Robin could have been ready to go in minutes but he wanted as many Team members with him as possible. When he got to the Zeta-Beam, there were only three there. Superboy, Miss Martian, Kid Flash, and Artemis.

“Where’s everyone else?” Robin asked.

“It turns out that Raquel and Icon are off world, that’s why she’s been gone. We couldn’t reach Kaldur and the others, and Zatanna said she was already on a mission,” M’gann said as she counted everyone on her fingers.

“Zatanna’s on a mission?”

“That’s what she said.” Wally shrugged. When Robin caught the speedster’s eye, they both quickly looked away, blushing furiously. Yesterday’s make out session was fresh in their minds, and Barbara’s words were echoing in Robin’s. Wally would see him for who he was, _if_ Robin told him who he was.

“So, old Gotham. I thought it was too dangerous for us, and where’s Bats?” Wally asked.

“It is, but we’re out of options. Whatever Kobra’s plan is, it’s finishing soon, and this is the last lead we have. As for Batman, he has a conflict of interest. He won’t be joining us.”

“With the case?” Artemis asked.

Robin scowled. “With me. Come on, let’s go.”

Without waiting for their reactions, he fired a grapple to the top of the roof and rappelled up the side of the building. M’gann levitated, Connor jumped, and Artemis shot up a line. Wally shouted up that he would meet them there, and the heroes made their way across the rooftops. Robin guided them, skirting around downtown so Artemis wouldn’t have to waste any of her limited arrow lines to swing from the tall buildings. They reached the walls surrounding old Gotham in record time.

The city had opted not to use the manpower it would take to bring down the entirety of the enclosing walls. Not to mention all the lowlifes that would have constantly hassled the construction crew. Instead the mayor settled for only knocking down the area around the former doors. Other than that, it was the perfect gated community for Gotham’s worst, which had been its intention before it completely failed. The Team was gathered along the wall, creating a fairly heroic silhouette against the night sky, complete with a brooding young vigilante crouching at the edge of the bricks.

Robin scanned the visible area in disgust. Arkham City lasted for much longer than he and Batman expected, and it wasn’t a surprise when it finally fell apart. He just wished they hadn’t lost the lives of those guards in the chaos of the event. Robin shuddered at the memory, and his own close call with death. Since then its tenants hadn’t expanded beyond the originals. The only difference was they weren’t being kept in line by the police now.

“I have the address for Luthor’s property, we’ll head straight there. There may be some distractions,” Robin grimaced, “along the way, but we have to remember our mission. I’m not really happy about it, but who knows how long we have. Stick to the rooftops as much as you can.”

Superboy, Miss Martian, and Artemis leapt for the nearest building. Kid Flash was about to jump to the ground when Robin stopped him.

“Wally, I never got a chance to talk to you yesterday, and I need to. As soon as this is over,” he said.

“Sure thing, babe.” Wally winked, but Robin could tell it was more nervous than his usual flirting with his usual girls. It was actually flattering.

“And stay where I can see you, don’t run into any dark corners if you’re going to be on the street, and don’t stand still for too long.”

“Are you worried about me?” Wally asked slyly.

“Shut up, Kid Idiot.” Robin punched the speedster’s chest, activating camouflage mode.

“Robin, let’s go!” Superboy shouted impatiently from below. Robin was about to jump down when Kid Flash put a hand on his shoulder and spun him around, planting a soft kiss on his lips.

“For good luck.” Kid Flash shrugged before taking off. Instead of blushing or babbling, Robin actually felt annoyed this time. Not because Wally kissed him, but because Robin seriously implied his worry, and Wally didn’t even promise to keep safe. It gave him a bad feeling as he leapt to the rooftop where the others were waiting.

“Did Kid Flash just kiss you?” Artemis gaped.

 _Now_ Robin blushed, as he remembered the other Team members could see them. “Yes.”

“Ooh, so he _does_ like you! Did he call you babe again?” Miss Martian asked.

“Again? How long has this been going on?” Artemis added.

Superboy huffed. “Is this really the time? We have a mission, remember?”

“SB’s right, we need to focus,” Robin said sternly, for once thankful for Superboy’s impatient attitude. “Let’s go.”

They started their trek across the rooftops. The property wasn’t far, just ten minutes, and the entire time Robin kept glancing down to the street. Every time he didn’t see a grey and red blur he felt panic rise in his chest, only for it to give way to relief whenever Wally reappeared. Being a speedster he was much faster on foot than they were running up above, which meant he was constantly overshooting them and looping back to make sure he didn’t stay still. Robin was relieved Kid Flash was at least taking his advice.

At the same time, he decided loving Wally was very tedious if his safety was always going to be at the back of Robin’s mind. Not that he didn’t always worry about his teammates when they were on missions, and especially this one, but that worry doubled for Wally.

 _‘The address is on the next street,’_ Robin announced over the mind-link. His sentence was punctuated by a sharp scream, followed by a gunshot. It wasn’t the first time they heard the combination of sounds in the past ten minutes, and each time they wanted to interfere, but Robin sternly and reluctantly informed them they didn’t have time. The others could feel his regret through the mental link. But this time the scream had a higher, more youthful pitch. It belonged to a child.

 _‘Be right back!’_ Kid Flash shouted in their minds, and the dark blue veered down another street.

 _‘Wally!’_ Robin shouted back, but received no answer. He turned to the others. “Stay on the rooftops, go to the address. I’ll get Kid Flash.”

Without another word Robin fired his grapple at a street lamp and swung down, arcing over the street and flipping onto the next building. He went after Wally. The scream had been close and Robin didn’t have to go far before he saw two figures in an alley. Kid Flash was kneeling in front of a sobbing child.

“It’s okay,” Wally reassured the little girl.

“H-he shot at m-me,” the girl wailed.

“But he’s gone now.”

Robin frowned and looked out to the street. He couldn’t see anyone running away. He turned back to Wally just in time to see a large shadow creeping up behind him. Robin pointed his grapple at the edge of the roof he stood on, firing it point blank. The hook dug into the concrete and he jumped. Pushing off from the building, Robin kicked the shadow in the face. He kept the cable on his grapple short so he swung around Kid Flash, swinging his foot out to knock away the gun that had found its way into the girl’s hands when Wally’s back was turned. She cried out and lunged for the weapon.

Robin let go of his grapple and jumped for the girl, pinning her to the ground. She couldn’t have been any older than ten.

“Sorry,” he said before knocking her unconscious.

“Dude! Why’d you do that?” Kid Flash asked, staring at the man Robin had taken out then at the child.

“She wasn’t attacked, they were working together.” Robin walked over to the gun and picked it up with obvious distaste. “This is the kind of thing that happens here. Help me restrain them.”

Together, they bound the two criminals’ hands and feet and propped them against the wall.

“We’ll have to come back for them after. I told you not to go running into any dark corners,” Robin scolded the speedster.

“I don’t know, I don’t think it’s _that_ dark,” Wally said, looking around casually.

Robin shook his head and went to his grapple, bracing one foot against the wall as he prepared to climb. “The others should already be there. Not detours this time.”

“I’ll race you!” Kid Flash shouted, and he was gone.

As soon as he was alone, Robin shivered. Since he got to the alley he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched. He gave the shadows one more calculating glance, making sure there were none that shaped like a hunched figure. When he saw nothing, he started to climb. Robin flipped up onto the roof and pressed the button to detach the grapples hook, but it was stuck.

“So not traught,” Robin mumbled. He reached for the hook, prying the claws open himself. They were stuck firmly in the brick, and when he finally managed to yank them loose, he stumbled back and hit something. Robin’s eyes widened as a strong hand slid over his mouth, clamping his jaw shut.

“Be silent, mosquito.”

Robin craned his head up to see Kobra standing behind him.

“If you pesky children are so eager to learn my plans, let me show you.” Kobra’s hand moved up so it was covering his nose as well, and Robin couldn’t breathe. He panicked and started to thrash, clawing to Kobra’s wrist and kicking his feet. His lungs burned, but not matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t get any air.

 _‘Wally!’_ he screamed through the mind link. Robin’s peripheral vision faded to red and dark spots obscured his vision, growing until that was all he could see.

…

It only took Kid Flash a second to find the others. They were gathered on the rooftop of a small shop. He ran up the side of the building and stopped beside Superboy.

“So what’s the plan?” he asked.

“Where’s Robin?” Artemis looked over Wally’s shoulder.

“He’s coming, he was climbing the roof when I left. Which building is it?” Kid Flash looked up and down the street.

“How are we supposed to know? Robin has the address,” Superboy grunted.

“Oh, good point.” Kid Flash continued to scan the buildings, and noticed one with a very distinctive sign. “Hey, is that one of those clinics?”

The others stood beside him and followed his gaze. Down the street, not too far from them, was a Collateral Clinic.

“They really couldn’t think of a better name?” Artemis scoffed.

“You ever been to one?” Wally asked.

“No. Don’t you remember the report Robin and Batman sent out? It’s just a scheme. They charge you for a bunch of useless vaccines that don’t actually do anything.”

“Maybe that’s the place Luthor owns,” Superboy suggested. His statement was followed by a round of laughter.

“Luthor wouldn’t get involved with something small time like this. Besides, don’t they have ten locations or something?” Wally shook his head and grinned picturing Lex Luthor in a nurse’s uniform.

“I believe there’s one in every hero’s city,” Miss Martian corrected him. “Luthor’s name would have to be one all of them, wouldn’t it?”

“Well, not really,” Wally mused. “Rob said Luthor’s properties were bought through a bunch of different companies or something.”

_‘Wally!’_

“Robin?” Kid Flash’s head whipped up to the rooftops.

“That was in the mind-link,” Miss Martian said, her eyes widening. She suddenly winced. “I don’t feel him anymore!”

“What? What happened?” Wally ran over and grabbed Miss Martian’s arms.

“He’s alive, but unconscious.”

Kid Flash sped back the way he had just come, to the alley were her found the girl. It was empty. He ran up the fire escape to the roof. Robin’s grapple gun was lying out in the open. Wally snatched it up and looked around.

“Robin?!” he shouted. He ran around the roof, hoping to find an unconscious acrobat, but there was nothing. “Robin!”

An ominous cackle cut through the air. “Birdbrain’s a little busy right now, but I can always take a message!”

“Good one, Mistah J!”

Kid Flash spun around and looked at the roof adjacent. Joker, Harley Quinn, Scarecrow, and Killer Croc stood there as a lineup of Gotham’s worst. A very fitting analogy, considering the heavy looking bat Harley was slapping against her open hand.

“What did you do with Robin?” Kid Flash demanded, speeding to the edge of his roof. He stopped just before he could topple over, poised like he was going to jumped across the street and beat the answer out of them. He was about three seconds from doing so.

“I ate ‘im,” Killer Croc said in a gruff voice, chuckling darkly.

Kid Flash grit his teeth together, preparing to back up so he _could_ jump across the street to their roof. As it turned out, he didn’t have to. Practically the entire block shook as Superboy landed in the middle of the street, creating a large crater. He must have heard what Croc and Joker said, because he wasn’t on the ground for more than a second before he was leaping at the mutated monster man, crashing into him with all his Kryptonian might.

An arrow soared over Kid Flash’s shoulder and headed straight to Scarecrow. It was rendered useless as a scythe swung through the air and sliced the shaft in half. Wally didn’t know the Scarecrow used a weapon besides his fear gas, and couldn’t believe Robin frequently faced off against a madman with a _scythe_. Guns and psychosis were one thing, but a scythe? That seemed like overkill.

M’gann flew for the Joker, who she could bombard with debris from afar—a good strategy, which left Wally with Harley Quinn.

“Come and get me, sugar,” Harley cooed, and Wally somehow felt cheated.

He backed up to the other side of the roof and ran, kicking off. As a speedster, building up momentum was no problem, and he had more than enough force to fly through the air over the street and tackle Harley on the other side. But she wasn’t there when he landed. She had ducked, backwards, to avoid him and flipped over fluidly.

It was almost as impressive as Robin’s acrobatics, and certainly just as fluid. Instead of hitting the villainess, Kid Flash hit the gravel of the roof and skidded across it. He popped to his feet the first chance he got and ran back at Harley. He managed to wrap his arms around her this time, but she easily twisted and slipped out of his grip, rolling between his legs and springing to her feet behind him. Kid Flash turned again, and this time his run was met with a bat to the face.

“Batter up!” Harley giggled. She stepped over to Wally, who had fallen flat on his back, and pressed her bat against his throat. “Aw, what’s wrong sugar? Miss your boyfriend.”

Kid Flash frowned, not because of the boyfriend commented, but because he could vibrate away and for such a small girl Harley was pretty strong.

“Don’t worry, kid. He’s havin’ lotsa fun with Mister Kobra and my number one girl. Ivy’ll treat him right. She’s one helluva kisser.”

…

Robin awoke with a gasp, throwing his head back as he registered the pain. He couldn’t have been unconscious for more than a few minutes, because his lungs were still aching. But now it felt like his skin was on fire. His eyes were squeezed shut, but he could feel the shackles binding his hands and feet to his chair, and the shifting weight that was sitting in his lap.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” a silky voice said. Robin struggled to open his eyes, and finally realized when the weight was. Poison Ivy was sitting in his lap. She brought one hand up to cup his chin and leaned forwards. Robin could see the mind-controlling spores on her breath. “Don’t worry, honey. I can give you relief.”

Robin strained to pull his head away, but Ivy held firm as she blew a soft kiss.


	25. Chapter 25

“Ivy!”

The Gotham villain frowned and let Robin’s chin go. He jerked back, letting out the breath he had been holding. Ivy rose from his lap, gliding across the room to Kobra, who stood in the doorway. As she walked, Robin took a moment to scan the room. It was a storeroom for medical supplies, and the chair Robin was sitting in seemed like any ordinary waiting room chair. It only took Robin a moment to recognize it.

“Kobra,” Robin snapped, glaring at the cult leader.

“Robin. It has been amusing watching you and your team chase us. I must congratulate you on your efforts in Toledo, and New Mexico. Although all your destruction brought you nowhere.”

Robin scowled, hating to admit it, but Kobra was right. They did a lot, yet they didn’t learn anything useful. He decided to use what he did know. “The altered humans were a nice touch. To draw us heroes away from our cities, right? So we wouldn’t pay attention to what was going on at home.”

Kobra smirked. “You are referring to the building we are in now?”

Robin had only been there once, a couple weeks ago, and his perusal through the storeroom was a short one. But, just as he remembered, there was a glass cabinet on the wall across from the door, and inside were the various vaccines that could supposedly cure Scarecrow’s fear toxin and Joker’s laughing gas. “The Collateral Clinic. What’s really in those vaccines?”

“You will find out soon enough.” Kobra nodded to Ivy, who glided over to the cabinet and pulled out a vial. This time Robin noticed the almost imperceptible green tinge to the mixture. It was the supposedly harmless serum he and Kid Flash recovered in New Mexico. Robin had already been injected with it once, when he was here investigating the Clinic. Considering Kobra’s crude smile, he didn’t want a second dose.

As Ivy leaned down to inject him, Robin jerked forwards and head-butted her. The villainess gasped and stumbled back, giving Robin the few precious seconds he needed to finish picking the locks on his wrist shackles. He tumbled, bracing his hands against the floor and swinging his still-chained feet up. The chair swung with him, and as Robin flipped over it smashed down on top of Ivy. He reached for his feet, intent on fully freeing himself, but was yanked sharply upwards by a hand on the back of his neck.

Robin and the chair were lifted into the air, his ankles under a considerable about of strain because of how they were restrained. Robin reached back and latched onto the arms of the chair before the weight could do any damage. “What’s wrong, Kobra? I thought gods don’t stoop to conquer?”

“For this,” Kobra said, raising the recovered syringe, “I will make an exception.”

Robin winced as the needle stabbed into his skin and the plunger was pressed.

…

“Kiss? What do you mean?” Kid Flash demanded.

Harley just giggled.

Frustrated with Joker’s—and Ivy’s?—girlfriend, Kid Flash kicked at her. The former psychiatrist stumbled back, her bat leaving Wally’s throat. He rolled a few feet away and got to his feet, then started running around Harley. She swung her bat out randomly, trying to strike him, but Wally ducked and jerked out of the way. He had learned his lesson. Slowly, he started running closer to her, building up a whirlwind. Harley stopped giggled and dropped her bat, her hands shooting up to her throat.

With the wind raging around her, all the air and oxygen was being sucked up and she couldn’t breathe. Harley dropped to her knees when Kid Flash slipped on something. He skidded towards the edge of the roof, and would have hit the ground if Miss Martian wasn’t there. She thrust her hands out and caught him with her telekinesis as he tipped over the roof.

“Thanks!” Kid Flash called up as she lowered him safely to the ground.

“ _How_ _dare_ _you_!”

He looked back up to the top of the building. Joker was standing on the edge, holding what looked like a water gun of all things. He must have slicked the roof in front of Wally’s path to make him slip. Harley was leaning against him, her bat dangling from her fingertips. “No one harms Harley!”

“You said it, puddin’!” Harley crooned. Kid Flash and Miss Martian flinched sharply when Joker whirled around and slapped his partner. Harley stumbled and clutched her cheek.

“How can you not take care of one stupid little speedster? It’s your own fault!” Joker roared.

“Yes, Mistah J,” Harley nodded quickly, “it’s all my fault, I wasn’t good enough.”

“Take care of the martian,” Joker growled.

“Yes, Mistah J,” Harley squeaked, and launch herself off the building towards M’gann. Kid Flash didn’t have time to see what she was going to do, because the Joker was falling towards him.

…

On the other side of the building, Superboy was facing off against Croc, and Artemis was dealing with Scarecrow as best as she could. Killer Croc’s mutation gave him incredible strength. While it didn’t quite match up to Superboy’s Kryptonian gifts, it was enough that Connor was struggling. Croc also had more experience when it came to fighting, and was used to a more cunning opponent.

Superboy roared, charging at Croc’s waist. He tackled his opponent and they both went tumbling into the street. Croc grabbed Superboy’s arms and tried to pry him off, kicking him in the stomach. Superboy held on, but wasn’t expecting a thick, scaly tail to swing out and strike him on the side of the head.

Dazed, Superboy let go. He lurched backwards to avoid Croc’s snapping jaws and punched the villain in the face. As Croc stumbled Superboy hit him again, and again, and again. He continued to drive Croc back until his next punch was caught. Croc grabbed Superboy, hoisted him up and threw him down the street. He bounced past Artemis, who was running and shooting arrows at her own opponent.

The archer thought Scarecrow would be an easy opponent. He preyed on people’s fear to fight. But without his gas, what could he do? A lot, apparently. He was surprisingly nimble and masterfully worked the scythe in his hands. Artemis couldn’t risk getting in for close combat unless she managed to disarm Scarecrow. She was forced to maintain distance and rely on her accuracy instead.

She was an excellent archer, there was no doubt about that, but Scarecrow’s movements were erratic and hard to predict. Already there were a few mounds of hardened polyurethane foam behind her, proof of Scarecrow’s agility. With her limited supply she didn’t want to risk wasting anymore.

Artemis fired three explosive arrows, hoping to pin down the villain. They hit the ground around his feet and went off. She quickly loaded a foam arrow and walked towards the smoke, ready to fire as soon as she could make out his figure. She saw a tall shadow and let her arrow fly. There was a solid _thwack_ then the sucking hiss as the foam expanded. Artemis smirked, lowering her bow, and confidently walked forwards. As she got closer and the smoke dissipated, the shadow revealed itself to by Scarecrow’s scythe, now encased in green foam. What she had thought was a head was actually a hood, and the outstretched arm was actually the blade.

Artemis whipped her bow up and spun around, looking for Scarecrow. She heard something hit the pavement, and a metal canister bumped against her foot. As it exploded, she dove, rushing to get out of the cloud of green gas without breathing. She burst through the veil and ran to the sidewalk, breathing only once she was sure wouldn’t take it any gas. Scarecrow emerged from the cloud with his scythe back in his hands and his hood back over his face.

“What are you afraid of?” Scarecrow asked.

Artemis backed away, reaching for her closest arrow. She was startled by Superboy landing on the street beside her. Killer Croc had managed to pick him up and throw him again. Artemis jerked her had towards the mutated man. He could move quickly, but she knew it was only half his usual speed. When Croc was out of water, he was out of his element. She could work with that.

“Superboy, let’s switch opponents,” Artemis said. Connor frowned at the two villains that were making their way forwards and nodded. Superboy ran at Scarecrow, easily blocked the scythe with his near-impenetrable skin, and ripping the weapon out of the villain’s bony hands. Superboy punched him the stomach, then again in the end, swiftly sending him into the realm of the unconscious. It was over incredibly fast.

Artemis, meanwhile, had easily gained Croc’s attention by firing several sharp arrows at him. The steel tips did nothing against his thick skin, but they served their purpose. His head swivelled towards her and he growled. Artemis only had one polyurethane arrow left, meaning she only had one shot at this. Her explosive arrow struck Croc’s shoulder, and at point blank range the noise would have been deafening.

Killer Croc roared in pain and charged heedlessly forwards. Artemis readied her arrow. When Croc was only a few feet away she dove to the side. Because of his built up speed, he wasn’t able to turn smoothly and skidded. Croc’s tail lashed out, whipping against Artemis’ cheek. She ignored the sting as she brought her bow up, pulled the string, and let the arrow fly. The second it struck the ground green foam expanded from the arrowhead, rising around Croc and encasing him up to his shoulders. He wriggled and roared, trying to break free, his tail thumping against the ground in futility.

“Little archer, I’ll eat you!” Croc shouted, hissing and snapping his jaws.

“Not bad,” Superboy grunted, eyeing the foam.

Artemis just smirked.

…

The burning pain Robin had been feeling since he awoke doubled, and he hissed sharply. Kobra let the syringe, and Robin, drop to the tiled floor.

“I think the boy’s hurting,” Ivy crooned happily.

“As he should be,” Kobra said.

Robin lifted his head, struggling to see straight.

Kobra delicately picked up a remote from one of the shelves and held it up for the vigilante to see. “The pain will be dealt with shortly. I minor side effect, I assure you, to being so close to the transmitter. The nanobots do not respond well without instruction.”

That explained why Robin had been hurting from the moment he regained consciousness.

“My followers worship me because they are dedicated and faithful. Normally I would not rely on such methods for willing soldiers, but for this they will have to do.”

“N-no,” Robin grunted, struggling to crawl forwards. Kobra smiled and pressed the button in the centre of the remote. All at once Robin forgot what he was doing, and why he was doing it. His every instinct screamed for him to fight, fight, _fight!_

He couldn’t clearly make out the figures in front of him, but they would suffice. He lunged for the closest, a green skinned thing, one hand going for their throat while his other reached for a batarang from his belt.

“Ivy,” a commanding voice said. It belong to the larger _It_.

Robin’s attack was halted as something curled around his hands and feet. It writhed and wriggled, and if he looked closely enough he could see it was some form of plant. The vines grew, curling around his arms and up to his neck. They didn’t choke him, but held him still as the green-skinned _It_ got closer, close enough that he could make out _Its_ face. _Its_ lips puckered and _It_ blew a kiss. The pale golden spores on _Its_ breath were bright as spotlights in Robin’s eyes, and he breathed them in without a second thought.

“Good boy,” _It_ said. “Now listen to me.”

Robin nodded. He wanted nothing more than to listen to the green _It_.

…

Kid Flash quickly decided he hated water guns, and would never use another one for the rest of his life—who was he kidding, water gun fights were the best!—but he hated the Joker’s water gun. The substance inside it was gooey and slippery, making the ground slick wherever it landed. Any time Wally went in for an attack, the Joker would cackle and spritz the ground, making the speedster slip and slide past his quarry. It was all Wally could do to recover and put some distance between him and the clown before he could be attacked.

The Joker wasn’t fighting seriously, Kid Flash wasn’t even sure he was fighting. He was just playing around, having fun, wasting time. Time that Wally could be using to find Robin. First things first, he had to get rid of that annoying gun. Joker hadn’t moved much during their ‘fight,’ meaning there a decent portion of the ground around him was covered in slime. If Kid Flash ran in recklessly he would end up tumbling head over heels. But, that was _if_ his feet were on the ground to even slip.

He ran at the Joker. Just before he reached the ring of slime, Kid Flash jumped. Coupled with his speed, at gave him a considerable boost, just like when he jumped across the whole street. He hit the Joker head on. They both fell and slid along the ground, courtesy of the Joker’s previous shots. Wally managed to wrest the gun from the Joker’s grip and kicked at the villain so they spun away from each other.

As soon as he was able, Kid Flash leapt to his feet and tossed the gun as far away as he could. He ran back at the Joker to finally begin his attack. Wally barely saw the glint metal in Joker’s hand at the last moment and bent backwards to avoid the villain’s thrusting arm, and what could have been a fatal stabbing. But running at super speeds and doing the limbo didn’t mix well, and Kid Flash was easily thrown off balance. He flopped backwards and earned himself a serious case of road rash as he came to a stop.

Joker was there before he could peel himself off the asphalt. The clown lunged and Wally cringed, waiting for the burst of pain. It didn’t come. He slowly opened his eyes to see Joker poised above him, frozen.

Kid Flash scrambled back and remembered something very important as Joker’s green eyes jumped to a figure behind him.

“M’gann, no, he’s crazy!” Wally shouted, but it was too late. The Martian, who dove into Joker’s mind when she restrained him, screamed and clutched her head, dropping to the ground.

“Don’t you do anythin’ to Mistah J!” Harley shrieked, running up to Miss Martian and swinging her bat. Kid Flash reached them a moment after M’gann was struck in the head. He grabbed Harley and threw her down.

“ _Tup eht seizarc ot peels!_ ” Zatanna dropped out of the sky beside the speedster, another figure landing unsteadily beside her.. “Wally, what’s going on?”

“I honestly have no idea,” Kid Flash said. He looked back at the Joker to see the magician’s spell had affected him as well, then at the girl beside Zatanna. “Who are you?”

“What, don’t recognize me without the skin tight uniform?”

Kid Flash looked at her bright red hair and blue eyes. “Barbara?” He glanced up at Zatanna, realizing maybe he shouldn’t have said that.

“It’s cool, she knows who I am.”

“M’gann!”

All three of them turned to see Superboy and Artemis running towards them.

“She tried to invade the Joker’s mind, and Harley got her,” Kid Flash explained. He noticed the thin slash on Artemis’ cheek. “What happened to you?”

“Reptiles have surprisingly sharp tails,” Artemis answered. “More importantly, where’s Robin?”

“He’s not with you guys?” Barbara asked.

“Who’s she?”

“Call me Batgirl. Now, Robin?”

“We don’t know.” Kid Flash shook his head and started pacing. “I left him alone, and something bad happened. He called out in the mind-link, but he was gone when we got here. The only thing left was his grapple gun, and Gotham’s most wanted.”

The newly dubbed Batgirl looked at the villains. “They’re all supposed to be in Arkham, the real Arkham. There wasn’t anything about a breakout, unless…”

“Batman,” Zatanna said, and Batgirl nodded. This little exchange made no sense to anyone else, but they weren’t given time to question it. “I can find Robin. _Wohs su ohw yeht era._ ”

Kid Flash would have liked to be able to explain Zatanna’s spell away with some science soaked jargon, but he could think of nothing logical to describe the light that pulsed from her palm and washed over the streets, or the bright beacons that stretched into the sky after it passed. He noticed they grew from the heads of his teammates. The girls had turquoise beacons, while over the boys’ heads they were purple. More beacons rose up around them, through buildings and streets over. Kid Flashed hadn’t realized how populated the area they were in was before, and was amazed that no civilians had been caught up in their fight.

Zatanna was looking the direction of the Clinic. There was a cluster of three beacons close together, one turquoise, one purple, and the third a tangle of the two colours.

“That way,” Zatanna said.

Batgirl agreed to stay with M’gann until she regained consciousness, since she didn’t have any fighting experience. As soon as the others headed out the gunshots started, but they weren’t in the direction of the Clinic. It was all around them. The air was punctuated with shouts of pain and screams of anger. A few distant beacons flickered and faded.

“Robin first!” Kid Flash shouted, and the others silently agreed. Whatever was going on, they would need him for this. They slowed as they neared the Clinic, where the three clustered lights were coming from. An ominous feeling overwhelmed them, and the words “killing intent” flashed to mind. Kid Flash had never felt something like it, but Robin told him about it. Surely _this_ was it.

One of the beacons, the turquoise and purple one, started to move. Around the other beacons, including the ones over the heroes’ heads, thinner tendrils of light of various colours curled around the main column. The tendrils for the beacon coming towards them were black.

“ _Hguone htiw eht sthgil,_ ” Zatanna said, and all the lights disappeared. The heroes were tense, waiting for an enemy to come bursting through the door. Instead it was opened calmly, and Robin came stalking out.

“Robin!” Kid Flash shouted happily. Before he could run forwards, Ivy and Kobra emerged from the building, standing on Robin’s either side.

“Rob?” Kid Flash asked. It looked like the younger hero was trembling, and Wally wondered if something was restraining him.

Ivy smiled and placed a hand on Robin’s shoulder. She bent down to speak into his ear, but they could all hear what she said.

“Kill them all.”


	26. Chapter 26

“Um, you guys heard that, right?” Kid Flash asked, looking back at his teammates. They didn’t answer him, but they didn’t have to. There was a clatter by Wally’s feet and he looked down to see a disk with a flashing light. By the Clinic, Robin stood with his arm thrown out. “Oh, sh-”

Superboy tackled Kid Flash as the disk exploding while Zatanna cast a shield to protect her and Artemis. The dust hadn’t even settled before Robin started running towards them.

“Guys, what do we do?” Zatanna asked.

“We fight!” Superboy shouted and, in true Superboy fashion, he charged ahead before anyone else.

“But don’t hurt Robin!” Kid Flash shouted, but he didn’t have to worry about that. Before Superboy could grab him, Robin jumped up and flipped over him, planting a foot on Superboy’s back and using him as a springboard. Superboy actually _stumbled_ when Robin pushed off. He spun around in the air and grabbed something from his belt throwing it at Superboy. It was small, green, and glowing.

“Kryptonite!” Kid Flash shouted. He ran forwards to snatch the rock away and carry it to a safe distance. He was reaching out and about to grab it when a large vine slammed into him, sending him flying across the street and through the front window of a shop.

“ _Niartser niboR!_ ” Zatanna chanted. Before Robin could attack someone else he dropped to his knees, has arms being drawn behind his back by an invisible force. He writhed and struggled against the hold of Zatanna’s spell while Artemis ran by. She grabbed the chunk of kryptonite and spun around, whipping as far down the street as she could. Superboy grunted and shakily got to his feet. He nodded to Artemis, then took off again, this time heading for Kobra and Ivy.

Artemis went to help Wally. She jumped through the smashed storefront and found Kid Flash at the back, being pinned to the wall by thick branches growing out of a small tree in the corner, no doubt Ivy’s doing. She grabbed one of her sharp arrows and started hacking away at the plant.

“You really need to learn to vibrate through stuff,” Artemis said.

“I’m trying!” Wally shouted. His body was shaking and vibrating, making the branches shake, but that’s all that happened.

“So you and Robin?” Artemis asked as she finished with the first branch and moved on to the next.

Kid Flash stopped vibrating. “Um, what?”

“That kiss?”

“Wait, you guys saw that?”

“Yeah, does Batman know? It was kind of-” Artemis stopped talking when she saw Kid Flash’s face. His eyes were wide and his mouth was agape.

Kid Flash had somehow forgotten about Batman. Robin’s mentor, the person everyone assumed was either Robin’s father or uncle—that’s the way it usually went in the hero world—and very protective of his protégé. His protégé that Wally had kissed, twice.

And he had been worried about Bruce Wayne when he accidently called Dixie babe.

“Don’t tell him, he’ll kill me!” Kid Flash said quickly.

Artemis only smirked a moment. “No promises.” Her arm jerked as she made the final cut and Wally dropped to the floor. He jumped up and stretched.

“Okay, let’s go!” he said, just in time to hear Zatanna screaming. Wally ran to the front of the shop and froze, looking on at the scene in horror. There were civilians on the street now. A lot of them looked crazed, and they were ripping—literally, for some of them—into anyone that got in their way. The other people were simply defending themselves or running away screaming. That explained what the gunshots were, but Wally wasn’t watching them.

In the middle of the street, Zatanna and Robin were standing close together. At first glance looked like they were hugging, until Kid Flash noticed the way Zatanna was weakly trying to push Robin away, her eyes wide. That’s when Wally saw Robin’s hand, curled around one end of a batarang, the other end digging into Zatanna’s side.

…

“What is with you guys?” Barbara, or Batgirl, shouted as she ducked a wide but powerful punch.

She thought watching Miss Martian until she regained consciousness would be a boring job. But then screams and shouts started from within the apartment building they were hiding behind and Batgirl had to act. She had stopped seven attacks so far, restraining people with whatever she found in their apartments. Mostly she was breaking up viscous fights, where the participants were too concerned with destroying each other first to stop her. Until the seventh apartment. She busted down the door to find a crazed looking woman trying to rip through a bedroom door.

Batgirl was frozen by shock just long enough to see the woman punch through the solid wood with only her fist before she leapt into action. She had noticed the people she was stopping seemed to be getting stronger as the minutes went on, but this was ridiculous.

Batgirl swung her leg out, sweeping the woman off her feet. She glanced through the hole that had been made in the door and saw a teenage boy holding a toddler.

“I need something to tie her with!” said Batgirl. Without a distraction for the crazy woman, she couldn’t risk turning her back to find something herself. The boy nodded, and Batgirl stumbled back as the woman lunged for her again. She was fast, faster than Batgirl now, and managed to grab her gloved wrist. Batgirl cried out as the woman squeezed and she swore she heard a crack. She was pulled forwards and a hand clamped around her throat.

Batgirl wasn’t sure whether she would choke first, or if her neck would be crushed before that could happen. She grabbed the woman’s wrist, struggling to pull it away. It seemed futile, until the woman suddenly jerked to the side and her grip loosened. Batgirl ripped the woman’s hand away and rolled, keeping hold of her wrist.

Batgirl expected the woman to try and roll with her to avoid serious injury, not attempt to yank her arm out of the new hero’s grip. Batgirl didn’t let go easily despite her injured wrist as was shocked when she heard a loud pop. She dropped her hold and scrambled to her fit, spinning around to face her opponent. The woman’s arm, the one Batgirl had been pulling, hung at her side and the shoulder looked out of place. Instead of a pained expression, the woman seemed oblivious to her seriously dislocated shoulder, and she started moving the arm again as she went for the next attack.

This time Batgirl was able to see her saving grace. The woman’s son shoved a bat through the hole in the door, striking her on the head. He used more force than the first time, and the woman stumbled against the wall.

“Here!” he shouted, and a rope spilled onto the floor. Batgirl lurched forwards and grabbed it. She pushed the woman down and pinned her to the floor, crouching on top of her, and bound her arms and legs together as tightly as she could. The woman thrashed as soon as Batgirl’s weight left her, but it looked like the ropes would hold.

“Thanks,” Batgirl said, probing her wrist lightly. Something was definitely cracked, or broken.

“She was fine,” the boy said as he opened the door. “She was making a snack, then she said her skin hurt, and she just attacked.”

Batgirl looked at the toddler in his arms, and noticed the light bruise forming on her arm.

“Did she go after you too?”

“No, only Ella. She’s our neighbour’s daughter. I was babysitting.”

“Okay. You need to get somewhere safe, your mother isn’t the only one going crazy. Pick a room, blockade yourself in it, and we’ll figure out what’s going on,” Batgirl said.

“’We’?”

“What? You think I’m the only hero here?”

“I’ve never seen you before. Who are you?” the boy asked.

Barbara smirked. “I’m Batgirl.”

They locked the boy’s mother in the bathroom and, after making sure he would take the necessary precautions, Batgirl headed back outside to the alley. She could still hear others fighting.

“This is crazy,” she muttered as she crouched over Miss Martian. When she met with Zatanna, the last thing Batgirl thought she would end up doing was fight raving Gothamites.

…

_Barbara was waiting outside the Gotham Zeta-Tube. Richie had shown her were it was a couple months ago and taught her how to override it should she ever need to. She was looking down at her phone, scrolling through her conversations. She and Zatanna had been plotting all day and she felt they had a solid plan. When the phone box beside her briefly glowed Barbara put her phone away and looked up expectantly._

_There were a few members of Richie’s team that Barbara had never seen, because they weren’t public heroes. She knew what Zatara looked like and had her expectations for his daughter, but that didn’t stop the magician’s suit the girl was wearing from amusing her._

_“What?” Zatanna asked._

_“Nothing. The outfit is just very Vegas,” Barbara said._

_“That’s because it is. Why?”_

_Barbara smirked. “It’s cute. Though I prefer mine.” She motioned to her own clothes. Black pants, and a black shirt with Batman’s logo on it. She had a cowl, a pair of gloves, and a grapple gun Richie had given her in her bag. She pulled out the cowl and put it on. “You ready for this?”_

_“To kick some billionaire ass? Always.”_

…

Batgirl was broken from her thoughts by Miss Martian moving. She stepped back, aware the alien girl wouldn’t recognize her as a friend, and spoke softly. “M’gann? I’m Batgirl, a friend of Robin’s.”

Miss Martian blinked, one hand drifting to her head as awareness slowly returned to her.

“Harley got a lucky hit.” Batgirl looked out into the street, where Killer Croc was slumped over the foam containing him. He had given up struggling a while ago. The other villains were tied around him, still unconscious. The police had been contacted but so far no one had come, making Batgirl wonder how contained the attacks were.

“Where are the others?” Miss Martian asked.

“They went looking for Robin. Can you feel them with your Martian brain powers?”

Miss Martian closed her eyes and immediately cringed. “Barely. There’s too much mental noise. All the people, they’re in pain, and they’re angry. It’s hard feel anyone else.”

“If they haven’t come back by now, then they’ll need our help,” Batgirl said. She help Miss Martian stand and they both walked to the mouth of the alley. A few people were on the street now. “We can make some silence on the way.”

…

Robin had listened eagerly to the green-skinned _It_. Ivy, the other one had called her. He wanted nothing more than to do what Ivy said, to kill who she wanted killed. But he only managed to deal with the strong _It_ before he was restrained by the others, and he knew Ivy would be disappointed. He didn’t want to disappoint her, he wanted to _kill_ for her.

He could not see what bound him, but he could feel it. His rage grew with every second he was contained. He wanted to rip, tear, shred. There was one _It_ in particular, one that wasn’t in his presence. But if _It_ came, Robin would know, and Robin would crush _It_. He strained against the invisible force, the pain in his limbs nothing compared to the pain on his skin. He focused only on breaking free and ignored the other _Its_ as they helped the strong one, who quickly went after the Ivy.

Robin was panting, pulling and pushing against what held him back. He heard pops and cracks as he strained himself, growing stronger by the minute, until finally he yanked his arms apart. He couldn’t feel the splits in his skin, but the sensation of warm blood spurred him to action. He had to kill, and the first to go would be the dark-haired _It_ that tried to hold him down. _It_ barely had a moment to gasp before he grabbed _It_ and spun _It_ around, his hands shoving something he didn’t notice he had into _Its_ gut. He was close enough that _It_ was more than a blurry form. He could see a face. Eyes rounded in surprise, lips open in shock, and an expression unrecognizable to him in this state.

“Zatanna!”

Robin yanked the strangely shaped knife out of the _It_ Zatanna’s stomach and let her drop. He ignored her gasp and faced the _It_ that yelled. _It_ looked yellow, and moved very quickly. But to Robin _It_ looked slow. He spun around, swinging his leg out, and struck the yellow _It_ s middle. As _It_ hunched over, Robin lifted his arm and brought his elbow down on the middle of _Its_ back. He raised the knife to stab the yellow _It_ as well but hesitated. He could not kill this _It_. He had to, Ivy wanted him to, but he couldn’t. Something about this _It_ frightened him.

There were only two things Robin wanted. To please Ivy, and to find the black-clad _It_ with pointed ears. He didn’t want anything else, he wasn’t supposed to want anyone else.

Instead Robin struck the yellow _Its_ head to knock _It_ out and ran to the next one. The green clothing threw him off for a moment but Robin quickly realized _It_ wasn’t Ivy and he attacked. At such a close range the blonde _It_ wasn’t able to use the weapon in _Its_ hands and Robin, fueled by his increasing strength, easily gained the upper hand. He jumped over the blonde _Its_ first punch, planting a hand on _Its_ shoulder and forcing _It_ to the ground. He landed on top of _It,_ pressing his hand against _Its_ neck. He reached for another oddly shaped knife and his hand darted out towards _Its_ throat. Robin had barely nicked her flesh before he was tackled by the strong _It._

Robin snarled as he scrambled to his feet. They spent a moment just staring at each other before the _It_ attacked first. It roared and charged, relying on _Its_ strength. Robin slid underneath the first punch and rolled to avoid the second. He ducked away from _Its_ grab and scampered just out reach. All of this happened in seconds. The next punch the strong _It_ threw, Robin caught in his open hand. He could see the surprised expression on _Its_ face, and relished in it for a moment. But Robin was finished playing.

The _It_ Zatanna was surely dying, her magic—because Robin remembere _It_ Zatanna used magic now—useless to help her. The yellow _It_ was at least unconscious, maybe Robin could get away with letting that one live. The blonde _It_ would be dealt with once he was finished here. Robin just wished he still had that little green rock he knew would weaken the strong one, it would make things so much easier.

He stepped forwards, forcing the strong _Its_ hand back, and grabbed _Its_ arm. He twisted, pivoting his feet, and threw _It_ over his shoulder. Robin pressed a knee to _Its_ back and pulled _Its_ arm around, wrapping his own around _Its_ neck. The strong _It_ bucked and grabbed Robin’s cape, yanking him off. Robin flipped in the air to land on his feet and charged immediately. He and the strong _It_ continued to exchange blows.

Kobra watched the fight with a grim smile while Ivy commanded the plants up and down the street to grow. Some wrapped around the heroes already dealt with, while others thrashed and whipped the citizens—enraged and not—that had the unfortunate luck of making their way outside.

Robin growled and swung his fist, punching the strong _It_ in the chest. As _It_ lurched backwards, pain erupted along Robin’s arm. He punched with his other arm and felt an identical pain, but that didn’t stop him. Now that the strong _It_ had faltered, Robin had the advantage. He pummeled _Its_ chest and swept out _Its_ feet. He pounced, pinning _It_ to the ground, and grabbed one of the escrima sticks on. He instinctively thumbed a small, almost unnoticeable switch on the handle and shoved the other end against _Its_ neck. Electricity crackled across the weapon and into _Its_ body, making the strong _It_ grunt in pain.

Robin leaned down, pressing his arm against _Its_ throat while the electricity continued to flow. _It_ grabbed at the exposed and bleeding section of his arm. Robin felt the electricity course through him as well, but like the pain in his arms it felt distant and unimportant. He did not move until the strong _It_ stopped moving. He rolled off the supposed corpse and looked to Ivy.

She had the blonde _It_ next to her, wrapped tightly and held up like a treat for Robin. The only one left.

Robin stalked forwards, enjoying the sight of the blonde _It_ struggling. There was something about this one he didn’t like. _It_ had tried to steal something from him, something important. Robin grabbed his other escrima stick and electrified it as well, jabbing both into the blonde _Its_ sides. _It_ screamed and thrashed. Just like with the other, Robin did not pull away until _It_ stopped moving.

“Hm, disappointing,” _It_ Kobra hummed. “We’re done here. The nanobots have served their purpose.”

Kobra held something out in his hand, something small, square, and metal. He crushed it and let the pieces fall to the ground. Robin felt a sharp jolt go through him, a hot pain in his mind, and he dropped to his knees clutching his head.

“Ivy, you have your freedom. Perhaps you will avoid capture, unlike your counterparts.”

Robin didn’t see Kobra leave, but Ivy crouched in front of him and pressed a soft hand against his cheek.

“I’d like to stay and play, but I’m sure your dear daddy Bats isn’t far off now.” Ivy frowned. “The least you could have done was listen to my orders.”

Robin missed her touch when it left, it distracted him from the pain. He could feel it all now. His arms, his head, his legs. His skin had stopped hurting, at least. But he wasn’t done yet. That instinct to fight was still raging, he hadn’t even found the black-clad _It_ yet. He would have done it long ago if it weren’t for Ivy. Robin shakily rose to his feet and turned away from the blonde _It_ , who was still alive. They all were, even the _It_ he stabbed.

There were other _Its_ , ones he hadn’t hurt, lying out on the street beyond the area of his fight. Then there were others like Robin, searching for the one _It_ they truly wanted to hurt, stumbling around in pain. None of them concerned him.

Robin took a step forward, to start his search.

“Robin!”

He whipped around at the sound of the scream. _It_ was Ivy, but also wasn’t. _It_ had green skin and red hair, but Robin had no desire to obey.

‘ _Robin_ ,’ the new _It_ called within his mind, making him flinch. He could feel _It_ digging into his thoughts. ‘ _We are your friends, Kobra and Ivy are, were controlling you!_ ’

Robin shook his head sharply, attempting to dislodge _Its_ words from his mind. He could feel her probing further.

 _‘We aren’t who you’re mad at_.’

In image of the black-clad _It_ was pulled to the front of his mind and Robin’s anger roared in his ears. He focused on the _It_ that wasn’t Ivy sent _It_ all his pain. The aches and burning in his limbs, the feeling of sickness in his chest, his sadness, his anger, and his betrayal were all given to _It_.

 _It_ screamed in pain and a dark figure darted out from the shadows. The figure had been coming towards him. _It_ was wearing black, and there were pointed ears on _Its_ head.

…

Batgirl was horrified by what she saw as she crept forwards. Robin’s team scattered around him, in varying degrees of consciousness and pain, held against the grown by giant and leaves. She wished she could say it was all Ivy’s work, but Robin’s cold and loathing expression was just like the one they saw on every other rampaging person they stopped on the way.

Robin himself looked bad. What little of his arms that Batgirl could see were bruised and bloody. Even though his pants were dark, and it was nighttime, the bright streetlights helped Batgirl see the even darker stains there. Besides Robin, Artemis was the only member who had sharp weapons, but Batgirl couldn’t see any arrows lying around, only a single batarang lying just beyond a pool of light.

Batgirl saw an ugly expression on Robin’s face a moment before Miss Martian screamed, and she didn’t hesitate to run back and help. She put a hand on Miss Martian’s shoulder, unsure of what to do.

Miss Martian looked up just in time to shout a warning. “Batgirl, look out!”

Batgirl dove to the side, just barely dodging Robin’s attack. She scrambled away as Robin dove at her again. He was fast, faster than Batgirl had ever seen him, and stronger to. Robin’s punch landed on her gut, and she was lifted off her feet and sent flying across the street. Batgirl coughed and groaned, struggling to stand before her best friend could reach her. Superboy, who Batgirl thought was down and out, managed to snag Robin’s ankle as he was walking by.

Without missing a beat, Robin spun and kicked Superboy in the shoulder. There was enough force to lift him off the ground, just like when Robin punched Batgirl, only Ivy’s branches struggling to keep hold stopped the Kryptonian hybrid from tumbling across the street.

Zatanna and Miss Martian tried to stop him next. They both had one arm thrust out, while Zatanna also pressed against her wound. Robin was momentarily frozen by Miss Martian’s weak mental attack first. It wasn’t enough to stop him, but it gave Zatanna time to cast her spell before he could attack either of them.

“ _Dnib mih htiw sih epac!_ ” Zatanna shouted. Robin’s cape flared behind him, splitting apart and winding into thick ropes that wrapped around his body. All Robin had to do to rip them off was push his arms away from his body. He grabbed the tattered remains of his cape and tore it off, tossing it on the ground. One glare Miss Martian’s way had her shrieking in pain again.

Batgirl was backed up against the front of a building. She knew how talented Robin was, how good of a fighter. She knew what he could do when he was angry—an article last year made sure _everyone_ knew—but Batgirl had never been anything other than impressed. She knew this wasn’t Robin, that something was wrong with him. That didn’t stop her from being scared. She was frozen as Robin walked forwards. His urgency from moments ago had faded, and a cruel and victorious smile was on his face. He reached out and placed a hand on either side of her head.

Batgirl could feel the pressure, feel Robin tensing. She flinched when his fingers twitched, expecting a sharp and painless twist, but it didn’t come. Robin was frowning, his head tilted slightly away. Batgirl didn’t see it coming, but she heard the batarang fly between them, smoothly cutting through the air with the barest whistle.

Robin’s hand shot to his face and he stumbled back. His glove was slick and red when he pulled it back, revealing a slash over one of the eyes on his mask. The batarang didn’t slice the eye itself, but there was a cut across his eyebrow and continued along his cheekbone. The fabric of the mask dangled and Robin peeled it off with his bloody glove, slowly turning to look at the figure wrapped in a dark cape and wearing pointed ears, with angry blue eyes.


	27. Chapter 27

**Yesterday**

Bruce wasn’t sure what to expect when Dixie approached him, but certainly that.

“I’m bigender.”

Dixie kept talking, while Bruce focused on that word, bigender. He could have sworn he heard it somewhere before, but he couldn’t remember where. It had something to do with the recent increase in the LGBT+ community. At least that’s what he thought. Bruce scowled as he tried to remember what it mean, more than a little disappointed he couldn’t remember when it was obviously important to Dixie.

No, wait, she said something about Richie? Belatedly Bruce realized he missed her entire explanation, and she was waiting for him to say something.

“You’re what?” he asked, a little gruffer than he meant to be. To Bruce’s surprise Dixie’s eyes started watering.

“Maybe I shouldn’t go to that dinner after all,” she mumbled before running out of the room. Bruce watched her go, confusion etched onto his face.

…

By the time Bruce decided to go find his ward and get another explanation, Barbara was already in Dixie’s room. He could hear Dixie crying and presumed it to be over her uncle. She had spent the last couple nights in varying states of tears, and he thought it best to leave them alone.

…

**This morning**

Bruce wanted to talk to Dixie when she got up, but he had an early meeting and couldn’t afford to wait. He would have to catch her after school

…

Throughout the day Bruce stole a few minutes here and there between meetings to do some research on what being bigender meant. He was surprised and confused to say the least, and there were so many other terms tumbling through his mind that he had never heard before. He didn’t really understand, and had a hard time separating the idea of gender and physical characteristics. He didn’t see what the difference was, but apparently there was one.

Bruce closed his laptop and sat back in his chair. He would have to think about this.

…

**At dinner**

“So where’s your daughter?” Phillip asked. Bruce had only offered the Kane’s the barest explanation to her absence, since he didn’t even understand what it was about.

“She’s not my daughter,” Bruce answered immediately.

“Right, ward, isn’t it? I thought you would have adopted her by now.”

“No.” Bruce shook his head and visibly hesitated. “That’s not what I meant. She’s….”

He wasn’t sure what word to use. If she wasn’t a girl could he still call her his daughter? Maybe he should say son instead, but only on certain days. Child didn’t sound right, Dixie was far too mature for a title like that. He should have done some more research.

…

“Dixie!” Bruce shouted when he saw the girl he considered his daughter trying to creep away unnoticed. The hesitation was evident in her posture as she turned to face him, meeting her gaze unwavering. It dawned on Bruce that maybe he wasn’t supposed to be thinking of her as _her_ at the moment. He examined Dixie closely, looking for any telltale sign of what gender she? he? was at the moment. There was nothing obvious, or nothing Bruce interpreted as a sign. He may have been the greatest detective in the world, but this was an area he was highly unfamiliar with.

He was distracted by a low beep in his ear. Bruce sighed, annoyed at the ill timing, and turned away from Dixie as Superman spoke. “ _Batman, I found something that may be related to the kids’ case. I’ll be waiting for you at Wayne Tower in civvies._ ”

Bruce looked over his shoulder to Dixie, but she was already gone. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

…

Bruce knew something was up the moment he saw Clark. While he often scoffed over Superman’s weak civilian disguise, no one ever looked twice at the clumsy, awkward Clark Kent. But Superman was the one waiting outside the tower doors, with his signature hairstyle and bold confidence. Not to mention the glasses were missing. He decided to play along.

“Clark, what did you find?” Bruce asked.

“Not here,” Clark said. Bruce followed him a block over to a blind alley. With the setting sun and the tall buildings flanking it on either side, no one would see them. He was only a little surprise when Clark suddenly disappeared, replaced by two smaller and distinctly more feminine figures. He recognized Zatanna right away, and Barbara’s red hair immediately gave her away under the cowl and black clothes.

The cowl looked like his, and he briefly wondered if she had swiped it from the Batcave at some point. But that wasn’t his biggest concern. “What do you want?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Barbara shouted.

This time Bruce was surprised.

“You’re the only family Richie has left! You may not be his father, but he thinks of you as one, you can’t reject him for something he can’t control.”

“Robin _is_ your daughter, _and_ your son,” Zatanna added. “Who he is isn’t something he chose, it’s something he always was. Which means you don’t have a choice when it comes to accepting him!”

“He’s had a lot of stuff going on. Accepting himself, letting himself believe others would accept him, his uncle dying. Throughout all that it never even crossed his mind that you would reject him, because he trusts you that much. I trusted you,” Barbara said.

“You need to get your act together and fix what you’ve done. We don’t care whatever you bigoted problem is, you _will_ accept Richie. If you don’t, GBS might find themselves with a photo of an unmasked Batman,” Zatanna finished. Both girls had slowly been moving closer as they spoke, and were now only a few inches away from Bruce, glaring up at him.

“Are you threatening my identity?” Bruce asked, narrowing his eyes at them.

“Yes,” Barbara stated firmly.

Bruce was silent for a couple seconds, eyeing the furious girls carefully. Threatening him was a stupid thing to do, but he was glad Dixie—or Richie—had friends brave enough to do that. “I didn’t reject her.”

“You- what?” Barbara faltered and looked at Zatanna, who was just as confused.

“We haven’t had the chance to talk.”

“Richie was crying!” Barbara protested.

“Her uncle died,” Bruce said bluntly.

“That’s not why he was crying!” Zatanna yelled.

“Bruce, have you said _anything_ to him since yesterday?” Barbara asked.

That’s when it fell into place for the billionaire. As much as Bruce loathed to admit it, he was not the greatest at putting himself in another’s shoes, and rarely saw fault in his own actions unless Dixie’s life was in danger. Anything else and he was always in the right, always acting in the best possible fashion. But faced with the anger of two teenage girls obviously out for blood, Bruce realized his mistake. He hadn’t _talked_ to Dixie—Richie, whatever name she- _he_ was using. Richie didn’t know Bruce was so confused but wanted to learn more and try to understand.

“Does that mean I don’t get to say the rest of it?” Zatanna asked, looking oddly dejected.

“I guess not.” Barbara shrugged. “But you!” She pointed to Bruce. “Talk to Richie when he gets back. You’re both too stubborn, and he’s to hurt to make the first move right now.”

“Get back? From where?” Bruce asked.

“Robin called the Team for a mission,” Zatanna explained. “I was going to join them once we’re done here. We are done, right?”

“Where’s the mission?” It couldn’t be far, considering Zatanna’s nonchalance. It was probably even in Gotham, which annoyed Bruce slightly. Mistaken silence or not, he would have thought Robin would tell him about anything going on in their city.

“Old Gotham,” Zatanna said.

Bruce’s face blanched, as did Barbara’s.

“That looks bad. What is it?”

“Zatanna, Barbara, you two need to go back up the Team as soon as possible,” Bruce said, cursing himself for being so far from the Batcave. The spare suit he usually kept in Wayne Tower had been damaged and he hadn’t replaced or fixed it yet. He would have to go all the way back to the manor to change.

“Me?” Barbara asked.

“I trust you,” Bruce said, surprising the redhead. “And I trust D- Richie, but this is Old Gotham. I’ll be there when I can.” He turned and ran to his car, praying Robin wasn’t doing anything stupid.

…

Batman would have reached Old Gotham much faster if it weren’t for the rampaging citizens. They increased in number the closer he got to the former Arkham City. For the most part he did his best to, not ignore them, but focus on Robin. He had no doubts that whatever his protégé called the Team to Gotham for had something to do with this. The GCPD were out on the streets doing their best to contain the event, but there were a few instances that required vigilante interference.

When he reached the gates of Old Gotham, something shifted. The afflicted Gothamites stopped tearing throats out and instead clawed at their own skin, agony written on their faces. He abandoned the Batmobile two streets over from Robin’s tracker and found the young heroes just in time to see his protégé placing a hand on either side of Barbara’s head. Batman grabbed a batarangs and whipped it forwards, aiming between the two best friends.

His intention wasn’t to injure Robin, but it worked all the same to distract her- _him_. All the same, he felt sick when Robin turned to face him. Blood was smeared across his cheek and there was so much hate and agony in his eyes. Robin’s arms were oddly bruised and covered in cuts that twisted around his limbs. His mask was gone, meaning all the gathered members of the Team that didn’t know his identity soon would.

Batman could already hear Kid Flash’s soft gasp of surprise. “Dixie?”

Robin twitched slightly, but otherwise ignored the speedster. He looked back at Barbara once and ripped off her cowl. He threw it to the ground and crushed it under his foot.

“Robin, stop,” Batman commanded as his protégé started walking forwards. Robin moved with a deadly, calm sort of rage. His movements were fluid and smooth as he reached for his batarangs. He drew his arm back and threw them without breaking stride. Batman swept to the side, grabbing the hem of his cape and drawing it upwards then down to catch the batarangs. Before they could hit the street Robin had already thrown his next volley.

Batman barely had enough time to see the blinking light on one of the disks. He lunged forwards, tackling Robin to the ground as the disk exploded. It Batman hadn’t done so, Robin himself would have been caught up in the blast. Whatever was happening to him, the young hero wasn’t thinking about self-preservation.

With a surge of strength Batman had never witnessed in his protégé before, Robin was able to kick him off. It didn’t look like Robin was going to back down any time soon, which left Batman with one option. He would have to fight and subdue his little bird.

“Free the Team,” Batman ordered Barbara and Miss Martian. He didn’t have time to watch and see if they listened, because Robin roared and lunged.

…

Kid Flash had regained consciousness moments before Batman arrived, and now he was frozen in shock. He couldn’t believe it. He recognized those blue eyes the very second Robin turned, there was no way he could forget them. They were the eyes of Dixie Grayson. Dixie was Robin. Wally found it terribly ironic that he decided he must not have actually liked Dixie since he liked Robin so much. Robin, who was actually a girl, and never told him.

He realized that he should have seen it. What were the chances that Barbara Gordon would be both Robin and Dixie’s best friend? But never at any point did he even consider Robin and Dixie could be the same person. He wasn’t sure what to think now that he knew they were. He wasn’t sure if this was the time to think.

Robin was as strong as, if not stronger than, Superboy right now. Batman was a highly skilled and intelligent fighter, which could win out over raw strength almost any day. But Batman trained Robin to fight the same way. With Kryptonian level strength thrown into the mix, it would only be a matter of time before Robin managed to overwhelm him.

Behind the fighting mentor and protégé, the unmasked Barbara had recovered from Robin’s attack and ran past Kid Flash to help Zatanna. Miss Martian skirted around the fight to Wally and used her telekinesis to tear the vines holding him down.

“I’ve called the bioship,” she said. “I’ll get Superboy.”

“No, wait.” Kid Flash grabbed Miss Martian’s arm before she could fly to her boyfriend. “Zatanna first, we’ve got a clinic right here.” He motioned towards the Collateral Clinic. M’gann nodded and joined Barbara by the magician’s side. Kid Flash ran to Superboy and struggled to lift him up. The problem was Connor was about ninety-percent pure muscle. Wally trained his legs more than his upper body and grunted with effort as he lifted the clone onto his back. Kid Flash speed-trudging across the road would have been an amusing sight if anyone was watching.

Miss Martian and Barbara had already taken Batgirl inside, Artemis was slumped unconscious and still wrapped up in Ivy’s vines against the clinic wall, and Robin and Batman were consumed with their fight. Kid Flash propped Superboy up against the door and worked on getting Artemis down. Super speed made it a lot faster than when Artemis did the same for him.

“It would kind of great if you guys could just wake up right now,” Wally hissed. He wasn’t sure how Robin dealt with them, considering he himself had been knocked out at the time, but Artemis had two fresh red burns on her midriff. Superboy had a similar burn on his neck. Kid Flash shook them both not really sure how to rouse them. He didn’t expect anything of it, but was pleasantly surprised when Superboy groaned, opened his eyes, and glared at Wally.

“What?” he grunted.

“Uh, good morning?”

“It’s night time. Where’s Robin?”

“Fighting Batman.” Kid Flash looked back over his shoulder. It was almost disturbing to watch. Robin moved with deadly accuracy, most of her attacks going for the throat. They were fighting at close range, Robin using a weapon Kid Flash hadn’t seen her with before. They were black sticks, maybe a foot and a half long, and they occasionally sparked. As Robin jumped, Batman ducked and grabbed his protégé’s ankle, pulling her forwards. Robin, in an incredible display of flexibility, twisted her body backwards so she was bent in a C-shape. She swung her weapons at Batman’s middle. He shifted, trying to get out of the way, but she managed to clip his side. Kid Flash could actually see the electricity jump from the subtly deadly weapons to Batman’s suit.

The Dark Knight released Robin’s ankle. Instead of just dropping, Robin wrapping her arms around Batman’s waist and swung around, throwing him off balance with her increased strength. They both tumbled, but Robin managed to pop up first. She dove for Batman and he rolled aside to avoid her.

That’s when Kid Flash noticed it. Batman couldn’t, or wouldn’t fight back. He spent most of his time dodging or trying to trip Robin up rather than all out attacking. Wally hadn’t meant to, but back during New Years, he overheard a conversation between Batman and Superman. Batman found out Robin had been the one to fight him while he was being controlled by Klarion, and the little bird had been injured by him.

Now that Robin was under someone else’s control, or at least seemed to be, Batman couldn’t bring himself to harm her.

“Whoa.” Wally’s head whipped around at the sound of Zatanna’s voice. She was being carried by Barbara, and she looked terrible. There were bandages around her middle and she was pale, blood staining her clothes, but she was alive.

“Zatanna, you shouldn’t be moving,” he said.

“I’m not. Babs here is doing all the work,” Zatanna said defensively.

“Babs?” Wally mouthed. He knew Barbara’s nickname but was surprised to hear the magician using it. He didn’t know they knew each other.

“She was threatening to walk on her own if we didn’t show her what was happening,” Barbara explained. Behind her, Miss Martian nodded.

“We’ve got to help.”

All eyes turned on Artemis, who was wincing and probing her sides after just waking up.

“You guys saw him up close, he’s not himself right now. He’s stronger than a Kryptonian, without the Kryptonite weakness. How is Batman supposed to stop him?” she said. She had a point.

“She,” Kid Flash corrected her.

“What?”

“Robin, she… well, look.”

Artemis leaned to the side so she could see around the speedster. It was hard to notice amongst the constant whirl of movement, but she was able to catch a glimpse of Robin’s bright blue eyes. “No way,” she said softly. “Dixie Grayson? I go to school with her!”

“Robin’s a girl,” Kid Flash said. It wasn’t important at the moment, but he was still trying to wrap his mind around it, and what that meant for him, for _them_.

“Well, about that…” Zatanna said, her voice drifting off. She shared a look with Barbara that no one understood.

Barbara shook her head. “Let him tell them.”

“I’m so confused.” Kid Flash groaned.

“That doesn’t matter right now, Kid Idiot. We need to help Batman, remember?” Artemis reminded him. As if the situation itself wasn’t incentive enough, Robin suddenly flipped, planting her hands on the ground and kicking Batman in the stomach. Like Barbara when she was punched, he went flying and landed by the young heroes. When he stood, they gathered around him. Batman barely gave them a second thought before his attention turned back to Robin, who had frozen.

###

It would have been an amazing thing to see, if anyone had been watching the vigilantes fight. An unmasked Robin stood deathly still, fury etched deep into his face. Opposing him were his friends and family. Batman stood at the front, sadness hidden behind his cowl. Barbara was beside him, Zatanna in her arms. Over their shoulders hovered Miss Martian, hands clasped in worry. On Batman’s other side Artemis was still seated against the clinic wall. Despite her strong words, her sides ached too much for her to move. Superboy stood next to her, and standing level with the Dark Knight was Kid Flash.

To Robin they were _Its_ , nothing but things getting in his way. But… they were more than that. He could feel it, had felt it throughout the whole fight. It’s why he didn’t hit anything vital when he stabbed the magician. Why he used electricity on the strong one, knowing it could seriously injure him, but never kill. Why he did not have his escrima sticks on full power. It was why Kobra was so disappointed. These people meant nothing to Robin, but they were also everything. And the one in front had caused him pain, so much pain that _It_ deserved to pay. But every time _It_ dodged, he felt a swell of relief in his chest.

“No,” Robin muttered, the first thing he had said since the world faded away. He shouted, “No!”

He didn’t want to feel these things, because it hurt, _everything_ hurt. He threw his escrima sticks down and grabbed his last batarang. There was only one thing he could do to make it all stop. He had to take away the source of his pain.

Robin stepped forwards, visibly fighting with himself. He held the batarang so tightly in his bare hand that he drew blood.

“Robin,” Batman said, his voice almost pleading. He walked forwards away from the others, reaching out towards the boy.

Images flashed through Robin’s mind of the one he was so mad at smiling and laughing with him. He took another step forwards.

“You can stop.”

Images of comforting when he was sad, reassurances whenever he doubted himself, helping him when he fell, because Robin was so afraid of falling. With each thing he didn’t want to see he stepped forwards.

“I didn’t reject you, Robin. _Richie_.”

The sound of the name made Robin flinch. He felt a jolt of… of _something_ flash through him, something he didn’t want to feel. “You did,” Robin croaked, his voice hoarse. This time when he stepped forwards, he started running. He brought the hand holding the batarangs close to his chest, ready to lash out and slice. He started yelling, a long agonizing sound full of pain and anger.

The other heroes didn’t move. They wanted to, but they couldn’t. Something about the moment had them frozen in place. Batman reached up and took off his cowl, letting it drop to the ground. They couldn’t see his face but they didn’t have to.

“I’m sorry, son,” Bruce said, his voice barely a whisper as Robin’s scream grew louder.

Wally did the only thing he could think of doing. “Dixie!” he shouted, his voice full of emotion.

The invisible hold over the young heroes broke when Robin and Batman collided. There was a muffled _thunk_ of a blade passing through armour and Batman lurched, falling to his knees. Robin dropped with him.

“Dixie!” Wally shouted again. Finally able to move, he darted forwards and dropped to the ground next to a slouching Batman. His cape had fallen forwards to wrap around Robin. Wally drew the heavy fabric back and gasped. Robin was hunched over as well, almost huddled against Batman’s chest. The batarangs intended for the Dark Knight protruded from the little bird’s red vest. Tears were streaming down Robin’s face.

“ _Dad._ ” Robin sobbed before passing out.


	28. Chapter 28

“Don’t touch the knife, put pressure around the wound,” Batman instructed. Kid Flash briefly looked up at the unmasked vigilante—Bruce Wayne.

The speedster pretended he couldn’t hear the quaver in the Dark Knight’s voice and, once Robin was lying down, did as told. Batman undid the clasps on Robin’s vest and started cutting away at the black shirt underneath while the Team hobbled forwards. They were in varying states of injury, and Zatanna was still in Barbara’s arms.

As Batman worked, Wally could see the careful padding on Robin’s undershirt that gave her a more masculine figure, straightening her emerging curves. Once Batman was finished he carefully pulled away the vest and shirt, revealing the binder under Robin’s clothes. Seeing that sent Wally’s brain into overdrive.

Before he could still think, in some part of his mind, that he was wrong. Robin wasn’t Dixie, and Robin was still a boy. But the binder told him he had been right.

Despite the situation, it also had Wally blushing furiously, because he was keeping pressure around the batarang, which was stabbed into Robin’s chest, and since Robin was a girl Wally was practically feeling her up.

“Kid Flash, pressure,” Batman urged.

Feeling nervous, he had started to pull his hands away, but quickly pressed down again.

“It could be deeper, and the binder is helping stop the flow of blood,” Batman said, his tone quick and cold. If Kid Flash hadn’t just witnessed Batman’s display of affection he would have thought the man didn’t care for Robin at all.

“The bioship is here,” Miss Martian said, a hand to her temple. A hole opened in the air beside them, revealing the inside of the camouflaged alien aircraft. “There’s a bed inside.”

Wally had to remove his hands as Batman swept his protégé into his arm and ran up the extended ramp, the others piling on after him. Robin was laid out on the bed and Wally resumed his earlier position. He heard Batman give M’gann a set of coordinates.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“The Batcave,” Batman answered.

…

It was almost surreal, flying over Wayne Manor and going through a secret tunnel along the property wall that led underground. Wally had been in the cave once before, but that did nothing to lessen his sense of awe. Agent A was waiting be a curtained medical area when they arrived.

“Miss Thompkins has been alerted,” he said.

Batman only nodded as he rushed Robin away, and Agent A turned his focused on the Team.

“Miss Gordon, if you could bring Miss Zatarra to the remaining bed, we will have Miss Thompkins examine her as well.” Agent A eyed the remaining heroes. “Those of you not in need or dire medical attention may remain here until Doctor Thompkins arrives and performs her examination. Afterwards, I suggest you return to Mount Justice. Whether you are Master Robin’s friends or not, Master Batman does not appreciate other heroes in the cave.”

The others protested loudly while Wally remained uncharacteristically silent. He was worried about Robin, but he was also confused and needed to think.

Robin was Dixie Grayson, there was no denying that now. But Wally liked both identities separately, and for different reasons. Was it possible he could like one identity more than the other? And what did this sudden revelation say about him? He thought Robin was a boy, and chose Robin over Dixie. Even though Robin _was_ Dixie, did his perception of the vigilante make him gay? He liked a boy, after all. Or who he thought was a boy. If that were the case would he not like Robin anymore?

He didn’t have an answer for any of these questions. Robin was Dixie, and Dixie was Robin, and Wally wasn’t sure how gender related to his feelings at all. He grew up hearing about that stuff, about people being gay, and bi, and trans, but had never actually known anyone that was like that. He didn’t think about it. Robin being a girl didn’t change who she was, so it shouldn’t change the way Wally felt. As far as he knew, it didn’t.

But what if it did? What if he was bigoted enough that that made a difference? He liked girls first, so by that logic he would continue to like Robin. But he liked Robin as a boy.

Wally dropped his head into his hands and groaned. His thoughts were running in circles, and with speedster level processing, that meant there was a tornado in his mind, whisking one thought away before he could fully comprehend it and dropping another in its place, only for the process to repeat.

Needing some kind of distraction, he peeked at Artemis, who was sitting beside him. She was looking around the cave and frowning.

“I know her,” she said when she noticed Wally watching.

“Know who?” he asked.

“Dixie. I go to school with her. She’s helped me with my math homework, I’ve been to her house. A friend and I, we were planning on crashing her birthday party in March... She’s skipped a grade, or something like that, and takes advanced classes. She’s on the gymnastics team, she’s popular and has this crazy social life and… she’s Robin,” Artemis finished bluntly. Her eyes settled on Agent A. “And that’s her butler. Who I should have recognized before the gala mission. We were protecting _Robin_.”

That sentence hit Wally like a blow to the chest. He was still thinking of Robin and Dixie as two separate people, but Artemis’ words had him thinking of that night from Dixie’s perspective. Wally wouldn’t have just been some hero she managed to sniff out and immediately liked. Wally was her best friend that she had knowingly flirted with and teased.

Wally only recently realized his feelings for Robin- Dixie- whatever he should call her. Thinking back on that night, it suddenly came to him that Dixie could have liked him for long before now. But she never told him anything. Not about her liking, possibly loving, him. He wouldn’t have expected her say that. But about who she was. Not even as a civilian, just as a girl.

They kissed, full on made out, and the whole time Wally thought it was with a boy. That didn’t bother him, but it felt like some kind of betrayal that he didn’t actually _know_ , that Dixie had kept it from him. Identities were huge in the superhero business. Wally had seen enough of Batman’s paranoia to know that if Robin ever wanted to tell him, or anyone on the Team, her identity he probably wouldn’t let her. But her gender was a little different.

There was a loud humming, and all eyes turned to the open elevator crawling down the cave wall, an older woman wearing a lab coat and holding a black bag standing primly on top of the platform. Doctor Thompkins briskly walked past them, her heels clicking on the metal walkways, and barely spared the young heroes a glance as she swept through the curtain. Low and urgent conversation started up on the other side.

“She almost shot me with a shotgun,” Wally commented suddenly.

Artemis quirked an eyebrow at him.

“During the gala mission. When the Shadows took Dixie and me to the study. I knocked out the guy guarding me. Right before could go inside, Dixie flung the door open, and she was holding this shotgun. It got jammed right under my chin,” he explained. “She shot my cuffs with it.”

“I don’t think a shotgun can do that,” Artemis said.

“She’s Robin. Who knows what was really in the barrel.” He shrugged.

“We never got to finish out conversation before.”

“When?”

“The one about you and Robin. When did it happen?”

Wally shrugged again. “Recently. We sort of just kissed, we haven’t even talked about it yet.”

“Huh.”

“What is it?” Wally looked at the archer expectantly, noting the odd expression on her face. It was almost hurt and embarrassed.

“Nothing.” Artemis sighed. “It’s just… I thought…”

“Oh,” Wally said slowly, finally understanding. “I mean, maybe, a little. Remember Bialya?”

Artemis smirked. “My ninja boyfriend from a rival ninja clan.” She looked at Wally, carefully and slowly, as if she never expected to see him again. “You really like her,” she said bluntly.

“I do,” he answered. As confused as he was, there was no denying that one single fact.

“Then don’t ruin it. You’re horrible at flirting, she might break it off just because of that.”

Wally smiled. “She was flattered at the gala.”

“No, she was probably playing with you. I bet she was laughing inside.”

Wally didn’t get a chance to retort, because Dr. Thompkins emerged from behind the curtain, toweling blood off her hands.

“Your friend Zatanna will be fine,” she announced. “Nothing vital was hit, and bleeding was her only concern, but Barbara managed to stop that. Robin has a pneumothorax—a punctured lung,” Dr. Thompkins clarified, “and needs surgery. That’s all I can say for now.” The doctor ducked back inside the curtain, and Agent A looked softly at the heroes.

“Miss Zatarra will stay here for the night. The rest of you may leave.”

With great reluctance the four heroes stood. M’gann busied herself with coaxing the bioship to go through the Zeta-Beam. Its sleeping form was just small enough to fit, and Connor was able to carry it through. Artemis went next, mumbling something about heading home instead. Wally lingered a moment, struggling to tear his gaze away from the pristine curtain. Agent A gave him a reassuring nod and a kind smile.

Reluctantly, Wally turned away and let himself be engulfed in the golden light.

…

When Richie awoke, he couldn’t move. His entire body felt heavy and his arms and legs were on fire. He could feel a numbed ache in his chest. For a moment he thought he was dead, he was certain of it. He remembered stabbing himself. But then he opened his eyes and saw the white tiles above his head. Richie was going to be very disappointed it death meant he would spend eternity in the recovery room at Leslie’s clinic.

“Robin.”

He turned his head, the only part of his body he could move without a flare of pain, and saw Bruce sitting beside him. Richie wasn’t entirely sure how to react. Firstly, Bruce had called him by his vigilante name, despite neither of them being in costume, which meant Richie wasn’t sure if he should be the bright-eyed protégé, or the forlorn ward. Secondly, his memory after Kobra injected him was fuzzy, but there was one powerful thought he could remembered.

He had wanted to kill Batman, and he almost did. Bruce had said something, Richie couldn’t remember what, but at the last moment it made him turn his blade inward so that when they collided, Batman was unharmed. But he couldn’t remember the words, and he was still mad and hurting.

Bruce’s rejection was a different kind of pain than losing his uncle. Uncle Rick had been taken from him unwillingly, neither of them had any say in the matter. But Bruce had _chosen_ to reject Richie, to push him away when he needed is guardian most.

“Son.”

Richie paused, searching Bruce’s face for something. Humility, regret, worry. All he saw was Batman’s cold mask.

“I’m so-”

“You rejected me,” Richie interrupted. He didn’t want to hear Bruce apologize, not yet. If he did that would ruin everything, leave so many things unsaid. Bruce flinched as Richie spoke, and the show of weakness spurred him to keep talking. “I needed you, and you weren’t there. Obviously something has happened in the last day, or however long it’s been, to change your mind. That’s asterous, but it’s… it’s too late.”

Bruce’s expression didn’t change at Richie’s blunt words.

“I had a father, a great one, and no one could ever replace him. But at some point I started thinking of you as my dad. Then, yesterday, I only needed one thing from you. Acceptance. I don’t know what happened between now and then. Maybe you came to your senses, maybe you’re just feeling guilty, maybe this was all a big mistake. But you didn’t listen to me, you didn’t try and talk to me, and I- I’m not good at this. The point is, you care now. The problem is that I don’t.” Richie took a deep breath, willing his voice not to crack, and suddenly wishing he had chosen a time when he could move to do this so he could walk away. “The _problem_ , is that… I don’t think I can ever forgive you.”

Bruce didn’t say anything. He looked away from Richie, down to his hands, and slowly stood up. The chair he was sitting in scraped against the tiled floor as he pushed it back. He turned and walked to the door, resting his hand on the knob.

Bruce glanced over his shoulder, briefly meeting Richie’s eyes. “I’ll send Leslie in.” With that, he left.

…

The human body is capable of incredible feats of strength. Most of these feats, if performed, would tear the body apart. The brain stops this from happening. Every mind has limits that stops a person from pushing themselves too hard and causing harm.

Leslie’s scans of Richie’s brain revealed Kobra’s nanobots had attacked those parts of his mind. Richie’s limits were broken down, giving him the strength to fight toe-to-toe with Superboy The serum Richie was injected with was a special dilution that provided an optimum environment for the nanobots—part magic, part alien technology—to survive in the human body. It could stay in someone’s system for months, but the nanobots could only be activated by a special electromagnetic signal.

Once activated, they changed the molecular structure of the dilution into one similar to Kobra Venom. As it turned out, all the Altered Humans the Team faced had been victim to this solution, and their nanobots were pre-emptively activated. Without the proper control system the bots rampaged through their bodies, which resulted in an overload of the drug. But that wasn’t all they did.

The bots were able to cross the blood-brain barrier and target specific brain areas. First the areas responsible for muscular limitations. Then they stimulated the amygdala, responsible for the fight or flight response, to generate a long lasting state of “fight.” Lastly they targeted the limbic system, which plays a large part in emotional control, particularly anger.

As it turned out, Richie’s response, along with all the other victims of the serum, to target a specific person was likely an unexpected effect but fruitful nonetheless.

When Kobra’s transmitter was destroyed, the signal to the nanobots was cut off, and they eventually shut down. It took three days before the attacks stopped happening, but the damage was already done.

Richie, because he got a double dose of the mixture, was worse off. His muscular limits had been lessened to a greater extent and he pushed himself so hard he severely damaged his body, which explained the whole not being able to move thing. The bruises and cuts on his arms and legs were the result of a lash back of pressure. The intensity of Richie’s attacks sent vibrations back up through his limbs. It was too much strain on his body, and with nowhere to go, the excess force burst blood vessels and tore through his skin.

One day after Richie awoke, she took him for a scan, and discovered a number of his muscles were torn. This accounted for most of the bruising, swelling, and bleeding. Richie had to undergo three more surgeries at Gotham General to repair the tears, and by the fifth day after waking up, he was so full of painkillers he didn’t have the mind to protest when Bruce was in the room with him.

They hadn’t spoken since Richie’s declaration.

Richie’s muscles weren’t the only concern. In time they would heal, but he was sentenced to three weeks of bed rest. Even after that, his mobility would be limited as he would undertake physical therapy. But they also had his mind to think about.

Because of his double dose, Richie had twice the number of nanobots in his body, messing with his brain at the time. Rather than just stimulating his brain, the bots had actually attacked it and damaged the tissue itself. Bruce was able to concoct a serum that counter acted the dilution keeping the bots alive and in Richie’s system, but they were already inactive at that point. Leslie wasn’t sure how well the attacked brain structures would recover.

Neurons could repair themselves, and different areas of the brain could take over for control of certain functions, but generally once something was gone, it would stay gone. Because of this, Richie’s mental limits did not seem to be returning properly. At two weeks he was able to use a level of strength he should be nowhere near. Leslie’s main concern was that it would push back Richie’s recovery rather than help it, since he would continue to strain himself when he shouldn’t.

“I’ll only do the exercises you give me,” Dixie assured Leslie the day she was finally leaving the clinic. Dr. Thompkins had been reluctant to let her patient out of her sight, since Dixie always had a reputation for pushing herself, now more than ever.

“Besides, if I don’t, Alfred won’t let me have any cookies.”

“I’m going to assess you weekly. If I’m not satisfied with your progress, meaning too slow _or_ too fast, I’ll make Bruce hire a physical therapist for you to see every day,” Leslie threatened.

Dixie shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Bruce. He visited her every day, but there had been very few words shared between them. Mostly just updates on the Team, how Zatanna was recovering—the magician had to constantly reassure Dixie that she was forgiven for what she did—and so on. Barbara visited as well, bringing her things from school.

Dixie’s absence was explained away by a car crash. There had been quite a few the day Kobra’s plan came to fruition. It wasn’t hard for Bruce to hack into the GCPD system and fabricate a report.

The media largely referred to the incidents of that night as a bout of mass hysteria. Unsurprisingly, in any city occupied by a Collateral Clinic there was an outbreak. Kobra’s remote had been a mass transmitter controlling all the people involved. Though Dixie didn’t understand why he had destroyed the remote in the end. All in all, no one was sure what Kobra meant to accomplish that night. Either way, G. Gordon Godfrey was having a grand time blaming it all on the heroes.

Dixie was just glad to finally be going home, where she would have more than the TV to occupy her thoughts. She had to stay in a wheelchair, but it was still better than being confined to a bed all day. Dixie chose to forget the fact that she technically still had one week of rest left.

“Remember not to overexert yourself,” Leslie reminded her one last time before Dixie was loaded into the car, largely unable to climb in herself.

“A room has been made up for you on the first floor. You will be using it until you are once again able to climb stairs,” Alfred told her.

“Thanks, Alfie,” Dixie mumbled. There was a strained silence in the car as Bruce and Dixie exchanged no words. She knew they would have to talk again soon, but they were in a stalemate that neither one was willing to break.

She stared at the manor as they crawled up the drive. A portion of the front steps had been overlaid with a ramp and Alfred wheeled Dixie up to the door. Bruce opened it, and a loud shout followed.

“Welcome home!”

Barbara, Zatanna, and Wally were standing in the foyer, their arms thrown up, and a hastily made banner hanging from the second floor landing.

“Everyone wanted to come, but they weren’t allowed,” Zatanna said.

“We’re only allowed to be here for an hour,” Barbara added, pouting slightly and shooting Bruce a quick glare.

“She needs to rest,” Leslie said firmly and immediately headed to Bruce. They started speaking quickly and quietly while Dixie and the others moved into the living room. It was the best hour Dixie had since waking up in Leslie’s clinic. Since her last visit, Barbara had started training with Bruce, and even went to the mountain a couple times. She and Zatanna sat close together, and Dixie smirked when she saw the similarities between the two girls.

Wally was uncharacteristically silent, but he smiled and Dixie and joined the conversation every once in a while.

They talked about Dixie’s recovery, her newfound strength and whether it would be permanent or not, what the Team had been up to beyond the military-like updates Bruce had provided, and G. Gordon’s latest theory on the hysteria incidents.

Twenty minutes before the hour was up, Zatanna and Barbara stood.

“I told the Team I would tell them how you were doing,” Zatanna said.

“And my dad is expecting me home soon.” The explanations were lame, and Dixie recognized them for the thinly veiled excuses they were, but didn’t protest. They said goodbye, and soon it was just Dixie and Wally.

Dixie felt awkward. She was going to tell Wally her identity when they finished the mission in Old Gotham. Over the weeks her mind had cleared somewhat, and she had recovered a good portion of her memories. One of which was her tearing off her mask.

“So, you’re a girl,” Wally stated bluntly.

Dixie winced, though it had nothing to do with her injuries. “Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“I’m bigender, actually,” she said after a slight hesitation.

“Oh.” Wally nodded slowly, then shook his head. For a moment Dixie was horrified that he was rejecting her now, until he continued speaking. “I’ve never heard of that before. What does it mean?”

“Gender wise, I’m a boy and a girl. I switch between them. Like right now, I’m a girl, but when we… kissed, I was a boy,” Dixie explained. She nervously chewed on her lip as Wally seemed to drift off as he thought. She expected him to say something devastating.

Instead, he only had one question. “So am I gay or not?”

Dixie snorted, then she laughed, resisting the urge to double over. “You- that, _that’s_ the only thing you have to say?”

“Well, I mean, yeah. It’s been two weeks, I’ve sort of had a lot of time to think about this,” Wally said.

“Sorry, Wall-man, I honestly don’t know. I’m pretty new to all this stuff myself.” Dixie smirked. “But don’t worry, Zatanna has a friend who could help with that.” She tapped her finger against the arm of her wheelchair. “So, does this change anything?”

“It kind of does.” Wally nodded. “Because Dixie is a girl’s name, right? Are you Dixie all the time?”

“Really, Wally?” Dixie asked.

“What?”

“I’ve been tearing myself up about this, and you’re really not reacting how I thought you would.”

“Should I be angry or something?” he asked.

“I hope not.”

“Okay. It’s a little weird for me, and there’s probably a couple things I’ll have to get used to, but I still like you,” Wally said. “I’d like to see what could happen.”

Dixie smiled. “Me, too.”

Wally stood and gave Dixie a brief hug, one that was both awkward but comforting, before leaving. He promised to visit again once she had recovered more.

…

The next day, Leslie visited to see how Dixie was settling. They were in Dixie’s temporary bedroom, with the injured teen proper up on a number of pillows on her bed. Her spirits boosted by Barbara, Zatanna, and Wally’s brief visit the previous day, Dixie pestered the doctor with questions about how quickly she could recover without pushing herself too much so she could return to the Team.

“A team of young superheroes.” Leslie scoffed and shook her head. She never liked that Dixie started her crime fighting career so young. The idea of other children in similar positions simply appalled her. “They should know better than to keep dragging you all into their fights.”

Dixie looked past Leslie to the hallway, where Bruce was hovering outside. He didn’t bother pretending he hadn’t been listening in and met Dixie’s eyes.

“They didn’t drag us,” she said, and neither of them looked away. “We fought our way, tooth and nail, to get here. I wouldn’t change that for anything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not the end of the series. I have more planned, but it may be a while before I start posting that


	29. Epilogue

“The results were as we expected,” Lex Luthor announced before the council of the Light. There was a screen hanging from the wall, G. Gordon Godfrey’s face filling it as he spouted abuse against the Justice League. “The nanobots worked perfectly. All across the country people are doubting the League’s capabilities of dealing with more underhanded threats, and the riots in the heroes’ cities have displayed the brutality of humans towards their own kind quite effectively.”

“Our partner has agreed to the plan,” Vandal Savage said, nodding to Luthor. “But it will take some time for them to prepare.”

“How long?” the Brain asked.

“Up to five years,” the immortal being growled.

There were nods and grumbles from all around the table as the gathered villains heard this. They faded as Vandal raised his hand.

“What of Robin?” Ra’s al Ghul asked in the ensuing silence.

Kobra stood from his seat. “Ivy proved to be an effective helper, but in the end Robin could not kill them.”

“No matter, I didn’t expect him to. You underestimate the stubbornness of Batman’s ilk,” Ra’s said.

“From what I recall, you were first against this plan, isn’t that right?” Lex asked. He leaned forwards and looked expectantly at the Demon’s Head.

“I’m well aware this failed stunt may have severely hindered Robin’s physical capabilities,” Ra’s answered stiffly, meeting Lex’s challenging gaze. “My concerns merely lie in his state of being.”

“Not his loyalty?”

“Robin can be swayed, I have no doubts about that. When the time comes, he will be with us.”

“I do not trust this plan,” the Brain said, his accent thick. “Robin is one of the most integral sidekicks in the hero community, yet you seem to think he will simply join us? Why take the risk?”

“Robin is more than just stubborn. He is incredibly loyal. That loyalty now belongs to me.”

“Oh, and how is this?” Lex asked.

“We made a deal.”

“And how do plan to bring him to our side?”

“It’s simply, really.” Ra’s leaned forward, smirking slightly. “We kill him.”

…

_END_

_..._


	30. Preview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a brief preview to the second (officially the third) installment of this series, Black and Blue

_ Black and Blue _

…

“We need to talk.”

“You’re not going to kill me, right?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“Whether I like what you have to say.”

…

“You’re adorable.”

“I don’t really care.”

“It’s painful to watch.”

“You jealous, Arty?”

…

“I’m scared, Wally. You don’t what it was like, the kind of thoughts going through my head.”

“But it’s over now, you’re fine.”

“No, I’m not.”

…

“This isn’t how I expected our first date to go.”

“You’re telling me.”

“I mean, really. Did you have to break his arm?”

…

“You just don’t get it, do you? You can’t just say that and expect everything to be okay.”

…

“You look good in a suit.”

“Of course I do, it comes with being filthy rich.”

“Nervous?”

“Of course. It’s not every day the whole world gets a chance to reject you.”

…

“Just think of it, Nightwing and Flamebird, the new vigilante duo!”

…

“Those aren’t the words of someone who cares.”

…

“You’re just going to have to trust me.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

…

“This isn’t the way I wanted things to turn out, but maybe it’s the way they should.”

…

“It’s time, child.”

“Just make it quick, okay?”


End file.
